Sin Has a Blonde Flavor
by Platinum Preta
Summary: Roxas has a problem; he is being tormented by a redheaded Preta demon with a rather bizarre obsession, and Roxas just can't get rid of him! Axel just wants a taste... How do you deal with a demon that is obsessed with...hair? Akuroku. IMPROVED. R
1. First Encounter

_A/N:_

_EDITED NOTE:_

_I wish to write a full, complete warning that wasn't clearly specified._

**WARNING: This story is rated M for several reasons.**

-Lemons, lemons, lemons, Lemonade.

-Contains material related to the Holocaust.

-Contains violence and at times graphic imagery. No gore whatsoever, but know that there is fighting and sad moments.

-Axel's poor behavior in the first few chapters. XD

_Complete Summary: Roxas was not an unnatural person, nor did he have some sort of sixth sense like those mediums you see in Discovery Channel specials like "A Haunting." Heck, Roxas barely knew anything about the supernatural past the typical knowledge of vampires and werewolves, and the only things he knew about either mythical beings was what he had gathered from tales that his father used to tell him when he was a child on Halloween, and from some book called "Twilight" that one of his close friends, Kairi, never stopped talking about. So, apparently, vampires are shiny, but that notion totally screwed with Roxas' gamer logic; if it's shiny, it's important. And Edward Cullen was definately not anything of importance when it came to rescuing some princess from some made up land that had references to just about any drug you could think of. So when he found himself being tormented by something called a Preta, Roxas had no idea what he was in for. (Same as the intro at first, I know, but I liked it and I didn't want to get rid of it. hehe...)_

**End of Author's Note.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_The wind is blistering cold. Quite literally, blistering cold. It was a place where no vegitation dared to grow, not even the smallest fern or blade of grass. What purpose would it serve in a place like this? Long eyelashes laced with heavy flakes of snow and ice blurr make it difficult to see, and even past that there is a blinding blizzard. But he knew there was nothing there. There was nothing more than a barren, twisted winter wonderland, despite whatever he could hear, smell, or claim to see, leaving even the smallest glimmer of hope for redemption alive in the coldest of all places in any plane of existence. It was the tactic used here; it makes the damned believe that redemption is close at hand, yet they knew that the amount of time it took to live in this cruel, gruesome place was equivalent to that of taking a small sesame seed out of a barrel full of seeds every hundred years. No one could leave unless the barrel was empty...but it's easy to lose track of time here._

_The skin off of his back was cracked and raw, his hands covered in blisters filled with stinging cold snow and pus. He couldn't get away from it, his legs were much too cold, too raw and frozen to make himself come to stand. He found the less painful position to be in here was to lay on his back, the majority of his pain coming from the blisters on his stomach, screaming as the cold wind battered them endlessly. Yet, as excruciating as the pain was that rocked his body at every waking moment, without rest, he refused to cry out. He refused to lament his sorrow, beg for his own redemption, to acknowledge the screams and prayers of those he knew were around him, but also suffered from the exact same afflictions, remaining here until their sentence had been served. He didn't mourn because he knew he was not truly one of them._

_But he wasn't born here like the rest of them. He didn't belong here. He knew he didn't belong here. He told himself that over and over again, because to him, he knew it was true. But there was no one to hear him say so, no one that would even care if they could. The Narakas here were blasphemous wenches, theives, whores, gypsies, traitors, murderers... all too concerned with their own suffering. They all believed they didn't belong here, but he knew the truth. Even if he could, he didn't have the spirit, the strength, to make his voice be heard. He was saving that precious moment for another day, another life maybe, to let his voice roll off of his tongue to utter the name of the one who sent him the prayers. Yes, the prayers that he would receive...though he could not see them, touch them, or hear them in the words of the original sender, they were the most precious to him. He kept them close to his heart. It was very hard to find a reason to smile in such a foreboding place, because even cracking the smallest of grins would result in skin splitting to create blisters on the soft flesh of his lips that burned and ached without releif. But he figured the pain was worth it._

_Because unlike everyone else here, there was someone, somewhere, on another plane, that awaited his return._

* * *

***Week 0, Day 1. Thursday***

It was a late Thurdsay afternoon when Roxas saw him the first time. Thursdays were very important to Roxas; it was the day that his friends Hayner, Pence, Kairi, and Olette got together and went to the local soda fountian and got ice cream. It was a wonder to him that in this day and age that a soda fountian was still up and running, with a huge indoor mall and Super Walmart only a few blocks away, but the little pharmacy had a relaxed atmosphere that he really enjoyed, and the ice cream was well within his budget range. He was pretty sure that it was his most favorite part of this new home, despite the fact that he had not yet seen everything the city had to offer. To locals, it would seem odd to favor a small, rundown pharmacy on a streetcorner among flashy boutiques and commercial coffeshops than something like the indoor mall or other large, more popular or commercial facilities. However, Roxas came from a small town; he was used to the quaintness of it all, and if there's anything he hated more than collard greens, it was change, and that tends to happen when you move from Smalltown USA to the big city. The little pharmacy had that small piece of home that could quench his homesickness.

Kairi's grandparents managed the little pharmacy, so whenever Roxas entered the little store, he was always greeted with warm smiles on aged faces.

"Well, if it isn't the young'ns!" Kairi's grandmother greeted them as she was cleaning a glass behind the ice cream bar.

"Hi Grandma!" Kairi smiled brightly as the group of teens approached the bar, all of them coming to take a seat on the barstools in front of the bar. Kairi's grandmother was very kind, and always greeted them whenever they came to the pharmacy. They had been coming every Thursday for the past few months since school had started, so she knew their orders by heart.

"So, let me guess," Kairi's grandmother chuckled as her gaze shifted to Pence, Hayner, and Olette. "Sundaes for the three of you?"

"Yep!" Pence replied with a huge grin.

"Always!" Hayner said, patting the bar in front of him.

"Yes, please." Olette mumbled timidly. The elderly woman nodded before looking at Kairi. "And a chocolate ice cream cone for you, my dear?"

"Yes please!" Kairi smiled. Then the woman came to look at Roas.

"Last but not least, sea salt ice cream for you, hun?"

"Yes ma'am." Roxas replied, smiling a bit. His taste in ice cream was a bit odd in comparison to his friends, but he couldn't help his love for the salty sweet treat. It was a specialty back in his hometown, and he was overjoyed when he had discovered that the little pharmacy served it here as well. As the woman turned her back to them to prepare their orders, Roxas decided he would go and poke around the store for a while to kill some time.

He strolled around the store a bit, the wooden floors creaking slightly beneath his feet as he came to the magazine section. He was about to pass by until he noticed that the latest issue of Shonen Jump sitting amongst the rather large selection. An amused smile crossed his lips as he stopped and grabbed the magazine, his fingers flipping through it anxiously as he began to read through his monthly dose of manga crack. He wasn't a rabid anime fan, but he did enjoy reading the graphic novels.

"Hey, kiddo, what'cha reading there?"

Just as he was about to start reading the Naruto section, he suddenly felt a presence looming over him. Roxas stiffened a bit, having not heard someone come up behind him. He peered over his shoulder to get a look at who was talking to him. His eyes met a black trenchcoat, but no face. Hello, stomach, nice to meet you.

"Uh..." Roxas blinked a bit, a little annerved. Great, whoever it was, they were really tall.

"Up here, shorty." the stranger chuckled, and Roxas had to strain his neck a bit to look up to meet the stranger's gaze, and he was in for a bit of a surprise. The first thing that jumped out at him was the man's thick, spiky red hair that seem to stick out at every angle, surrounding his triangular shaped face like a firey mane. Roxas had never seen anyone with such bright red hair. He also had bright, almost cat-like green eyes that seemed to be outlined heavily with black eyeliner, and the pale purple upside down teardrop tattoos under each eye. "Are you gonna stand there and gawk or are you going to tell me what you're reading, hm?"

"Oh," Roxas looked back down at his magazine, feeling a bit wary of this stranger who seemed to be staring down at him intently. "It's, uh, Shonen Jump. You know, manga stuff." The stranger perked a brow inquizzitively before he reached over to pluck the magazine away from Roxas to take a look at it himself.

"Yeah, just take it from me, it's not like I was reading it at all." Roxas muttered, rolling his eyes a bit at the stranger's crass behavior. It took only a few seconds of the redhead looking over the magazine to snort dissaprovingly and toss the magazine over his shoulder. Roxas blinked, now starting to get a bit annoyed. "I was reading that, you know."

"Ah, but you just said you weren't. Contradicting yourself only makes things complicated." The man said teasingly, and unexpectantly placed a hand on Roxas' head, ruffling his spiky golden locks.

"Don't touch me, dude." Roxas frowned, smacking away the male's hand defensively. Who the heck was this guy?

"My name isn't 'Dude,' " The redhead retorted, his thin lips forming a smug grin as he placed a hand on his hip. "The name's Axel. You might want to remember that."

"I didn't ask." Roxas replied bluntly as he stepped away from Axel, going over to the fallen Shonen Jump and picking it up off the ground, at least doing Kairi's grandparents a favor and putting it back on the shelf where it belonged. All the while, Roxas could feel Axel's bright green eyes following him intently, and as he peered out of the corner of his eye, he confirmed that the redhead was staring, but he seemed to be staring at his hair. Odd. Why stare at his hair when he's got a brilliant mane of his own?

"So I don't want to be calling you 'blondy' all the time, what's your name, delicious?" Axel mused as he licked his lips, his eyes still fixated on Roxas' hair.

"Roxas." he replied, before his eyes widened. Wait...did Axel just call him _delicious_?

"Rrrrox-ass." Axel purred, his tongue rolling the first part of Roxas' name rather suggestively. "What an odd name. But I guess it suits someone like you, eh?"

Roxas just stared at the male before him, his brow furrowed questionably as he shook his head in slight disbeleif. He came in here for ice cream and now he has some weird creeper hitting on him? And what did he mean by calling him blondy "all the time?"

"Hey, Roxas! Your sea salt is ready!" He heard Kairi call from over the isle, causing the blonde to turn his head in the direction of the familiar voice, breathing an internal sigh of releif. An escape from Axel, greatly appreciated.

"I'm coming!" Roxas replied over his shoulder, then turned back to dismiss the redhead, but was surprised to find that the male was long gone. Roxas blinked in surprise, and looked up and down the isle for any trace of Axel, but he was nowhere in sight. Roxas shrugged, assuming that the redhead had taken the hint and left, so he turned around and headed back towards the ice cream bar.

Hayner and Pence were almost halfway done with their sundaes already, stuffing their faces with the sugary goodness while Olette ate her sundae rather slowly, and Kairi sat patiently in one of the barstools, licking on her chocolate ice cream cone while holding Roxas' sea salt ice cream in her other hand.

"Thanks." Roxas smiled appreciatvely to Kairi, taking the frozen treat from her and sitting himself on the barstool beside her, and began to indulge himself with the salty sweet goodness.

"So, who were you talking to back there?" Hayner asked between another spoonful of whipped cream and strawberry ice cream, though keeping his eyes fixated on the ice cream before him.

"Yeah, I heard you mumbling something about a magazine." Olette chimed in, looking over at Roxas. Roxas swallowed a mouthful of the ice cream that he had in his mouth, taking another long lick before shrugging.

"Some redhead named Axel." Roxas replied nonchalantly. "He was tall, hard to miss. He was kinda weird, to be honest."

"I didn't see anyone over the isle, Roxas." Kairi said. Roxas paused mid-lick.

"He was a skyscraper, Kairi, how could you have not seen him?" Roxas asked, his brow furrowing as he looked at the female beside him.

"I swear, I didn't see anyone, I just thought you were talking to yourself." Kairi chuckled.

"Aw, does Roxas have an imaginary friend?" Hayner teased, leaning over from his seat to shake his spoon in the blonde's direction. "You're a bit too old for that, don'tcha think?"

"I'm serious." Roxas frowned. Axel was so bizzare looking that he was hard to miss. Come on, spiky red hair, as tall as the ceiling, dressed in black? Surely he wasn't making this up, Roxas was sure he saw him!

"Maybe it was a ghost." Pence added in, though his tone was a bit sarcastic.

"Wouldn't doubt it, this place is really old." Kairi smiled, giggling a little.

"Whoa dude, you saw a ghost?" Hayner exclaimed, his eyes widening with interest.

"I didn't see a ghost." Roxas sighed irritably, just shaking his head. "Look, forget about it, maybe I was imagining things or something."

"Whatever you say, Roxas..." Hayner's lips contorted into a snide grin as he directed his attention back to his mound of sundae goodness, the rest of his friends exchanging amused looks with a few muffled giggles here and there. Roxas felt an all too familiar sense of embarassment in his chest, looking down to his ice cream to avert their gazes.

When Roxas first moved in, he found it very difficult to make friends. He was used to what could be called 'Southern hospitality', where everyone knew everyone and newcomers were welcomed with warm smiles and pans of some sort of cassarole made from different types of food that really had no business being thrown together in a dish. But the city had proved to be a different story. He didn't understand why he was being written off so quickly by many, and seemed to be deemed as an outcast before his first week of school even ended. He could see the many differences when he took the time to sit down and compare himself with the typical city kid from his high school. His clothes didn't have little men riding on horses stamped on the chest, nor did he own anything that could be considered upscale apparel. He was content with the screened t-shirts, his jeans, and other clothing that were from less glamorous stores, such as JC Penny or even Walmart. They were clothes, they covered his body just fine, what point was there in spending 150 dollars on a shirt when he could use that money to buy 50 shirts, or several Playstation 3 video games? Hip hop and rap were the most popular genres of music here, but he preferred light rock. These were only a few of the many things that separated him from the rest of them, and it was what made finding real friends among a sea of fake people so difficult. It was then he had met Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Kairi, but he sometimes felt on the inside that he was still 'different' in their eyes, and that he was still being judged, even by them. He was treading deep, uncharted waters, and he didn't want to risk them writing him off like most people seemed to have done.

"You know...I think that I'm just gonna go for the day, I remembered I have somewhere to be." Roxas said after a minute or two of silence, the sound of his voice interrupting the others' conversation, making them turn to look at him as he brought himself off of the stool to stand.

"You sure, Roxas...?" Olette asked, the softspoken girl seeming genuinely concerned. Roxas gave her a small smile, thankful for her concern. Out of his group of friends, Olette was the most accepting, always walking to class with him and hanging out with him, even when the others couldn't.

"Yeah, we just got here." Pence said in a slightly pleading tone as he gestured for the blonde to sit back down. "Kick back, relax for a little while."

"If this is about the whole 'ghost' thing, dude, I was just joking," Hayner chimed in, even he sounding a bit remorseful as he turned his head to look over his shoulder at Roxas.

"Nah, I think I'll pass, I really have to be going," Roxas declined, shaking his head a bit as he went to approach the door. He was guessing that they were all probably sincere, but he felt like it would be a bit too awkward if he stayed, mostly for himself. He didn't want to linger much longer if 'Axel' was still hanging around. He was already annerved about their first encounter.

"Well...we'll see you tomorrow!" Kairi called after him as he pushed the door open, the sound of the bell hanging on the upper door frame chiming as he crossed the threshold, drowning out Kairi's farewell from Roxas' ears.

The blonde heaved a relieved, yet solemn sigh as he began to walk down the sidewalk, his right hand holding his precious dairy treat that he licked away at while his free hand buried itself into the pocket of his jeans as the noisy cars and other pedestrians passed by. He tried not to think too much on his friends laughing about his story, but he still found it hard to believe that they didn't see that redheaded stranger. Now that he looked back on it, there did seem to be something odd about him. Roxas knew what friendly people were like; his hometown was full of them. But Axel seemed a bit more along the lines of 'creepy phsychopath,' at least in his book. But then again, he had always heard that the city was full of many different kinds of kooks, crooks, and oddballs. Maybe this Axel guy was just one of them. Roxas shrugged at the thought as he took a bite of his now melting ice cream. It's not like he had much to go on, the stranger had dissapeared before he could get much out of him.

Roxas followed the memorized path to the bus stop on the end of the block, and plopped down on the bench with a huff to await the bus that would take him back home to his neighborhood. He leaned back on the otherwise uninhabitated bench, letting his eyes drift to a close as he finished up the last remaining bits of the ice cream, trying to put the past half hour of his life behind him.

"Boo."

Roxas jumped with a start, his popsicle stick that had one last little morsel of sea salt ice cream clinging to it's slippery wooden surface went flying out of his hands and onto the pavement before him. He turned his head to find the source of whomever dared to startle him when he was so close to finishing his treat to find laughing green eyes staring right back at him. It took a few moments to register that the sudden intruder on the bench right beside him was none other than Axel, who seemed to come blantantly out of nowhere. Roxas sat, his mouth hanging open in a surprised stupor. So many different questions ran through his mind at once, most of them being pretty harsh in nature.

"You're speechless?" Axel spoke in a teasing tone as a catty grin curled upon his lips, leaning forward in his seat a bit towards Roxas. "Well, I personally don't blame you. It's not every day I talk to people one on one like this, so you should feel pretty special."

Once Roxas was able to get past the rush of being startled, he felt his hands ball into fists, feeling anger rising within him. How dare this stranger make a fool out of him in front of his friends? How dare he ruin his Thursday and make him drop his sea salt ice cream?

"You wanna know how I really feel, Axel?" Roxas emphasized the stranger's name through his clenched teeth, making the redhead perk up a bit.

"Oh yes, do tell." Axel purred as he propped his arm up against the top of the bench, resting his chin in his hand. "I'm all ears, Roxy."

"I feel like it would be a good idea if you would _get lost_." Roxas scowled as he turned to face Axel, his teeth still clenched as he spoke through them angrily. But the intended intimidating scowl didn't deter Axel in the slightest, only making him tilt his head to the side questionably.

"But we've only just met!" Axel pouted, the reply only drawing out more anger from the frustrated teen. "And it would be difficult for me to get lost here. I know this city like the back of my hand. I've been around for a very long time, you know."

"No, I didn't know, thanks for sharing." Roxas crossed his arms at his chest. "And I honestly don't care to know anything else. Because of you, I probably lost some of the respect that my friends had for me. You have no idea how hard it's going to be to gain any of it back."

"What, those little brats were your friends?" Axel scoffed, changing his position so he was reclining against the bench with his arms behind his head, allowing his thin form to slink down into the bench a bit. "Eh, who needs them? They're all just a bunch of snooty city kids, right? Besides, they aren't nearly as interesting or hansome as myself, I'm sure you agree."

"Who the heck do you think you are?" Roxas challenged, rising to his feet, unable to be sitting on the same bench as this crazy kook who seemed like he lacked any and all social ettiquette skills. "I don't even know you, yet you're calling me stupid nicknames and think it's perfectly fine to start mouthing off about my friends?" Axel's brow scrunched up as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm...pretty much, yeah."

"You...! Ugh, leave me alone." Roxas barked as he turned away from Axel, having no desire to maintain further contact with this weirdo and proceeded to make his way back down the sidewalk in an attempt to find another bus stop to place himself while he waited for the bus, wanting to get away as quickly and as soon as possible to leave this entire situation, this entire day, behind him.

* * *

**For my alerted readers, lemme know how you feel about the changes if you'd like. I felt giving Roxas a bit more character development was nessesary.**

**Well, ONWARD! Oh, and don't freak if you don't know what a Preta is. You'll find out next chappie.**


	2. Red Magnolia Flower

**_A/N: Time to find out more about Axel, yes?_**

**_More was added to this chappie, obviously, but it stays pretty much the same towards the end._**

**_Not much else to say but enjoy :)_**

* * *

_He could feel the blisters burning like hot fire on his lips, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. In a place like this, there was not much else to do but lay in the never ending snow and ice and think. What you thought about for thousands upon thousands of years was a personal decision. He could spend it all complaining silently, asking himself "Why me? I didn't deserve this." "I'm not supposed to be here, I should have been more religious." "It was all his fault for letting me do this." He could spend it all by dreaming, but there was no such thing as sleep here, and daydreams were constantly interrupted by different degrees of pain. But he chose to take this time to think about his memories. His old ones, his newer ones, all of them. Though, his train of thought always seemed to fall on the same thing; his first, true best friend. _

_'You always did make a huge fuss when things didn't go your way.' he thought to himself, wishing that he had the ability to laugh, or even chuckle, but he knew that wasn't possible. Even the slightest movement, the slightest twitch of the finger, could bring pain. There had been instances where he was certain that his fingers had disappeared entirely, because he was so frostbitten and numb at times that he figured they had fallen off. He couldn't look to see, he didn't even want to look and see. It wasn't worth the effort._

_'I wonder what was going through his mind those first few days,' he thought, his mind pondering over past memories as he tried to shut out the excruciating pain that was resulting from another blast of cold air upon his stomach, but it was proving to be very difficult, seeing as with every breath he took he could feel his skin cracking and splitting open even further, exposing more raw skin for the blizzard to unleash it's wrath upon. 'Maybe if I had known what talking to him for so long would have entailed, I could have just ended it right then. I could have just taken it, excusing any intention of courtesy, and just ripped it all away.' _

* * *

***Week 0, Day 2, Friday***

"Now listen here," The history teacher bellowed over the loud chatter coming from his students that seemed to be more concerned about their social lives than with the thought of receiving a detention, though at the sound of Mr. Ansem's stern voice, the chatter slowly began to die down. The bearded man proceeded to clear his throat rather loudly, catching the attention of those who didn't seem to get the memo the first time, and those last few stragglers quieted down as well. It was common knowledge among the American History class students that when Mr. Ansem cleared his throat, he meant business, and would start handing out detentions like nobody's business. "As much as I hate to interrupt such _lively_ conversations, I do believe that the whole lot of you have a test tomorrow in this class, and it would benifit each and every one of you if you paid attention."

It wasn't a problem for Roxas. He wasn't even talking to begin with. He shared each of his classes with at least one of his friends, all except his history class. Therefore he usually spent a majority of this class period without saying a word to anyone, but it wasn't like any of them really cared that much. After all, he was 'that hick,' and it seemed to him that they thought he was unable to carry on a civilized conversation. Not that it bothered Roxas that much; he loved history. He was much more interested in what his teacher had to say than anything else.

Roxas had always been fascinated by history. He especially loved to learn about the World War II era, and about early America. To him, history was like one big storybook, but the stories were actually real, and full of secrets and surprises. He often found himself inserting himself into the time period that was being covered in class, wondering what life back then could have been like, and how much the world has grown, in some ways, for the better or worse. He couldn't understand this fascination with the topic completely himself, but all he knew is that he always looked forward to his F period American History class.

But today, his mind was preoccupied. In the very last row, sitting by the window, Roxas sat in his desk with his green mechanical pencil in hand, staring down blankly at the untouched lines of his notebook paper. As much as he had told himself he was going to put yesterday behind him, he couldn't get himself to completely do so. Something didn't feel right about yesterday.

_I just don't get it,_ Roxas thought to himself as he started to chew absent-mindedly on the eraser of his pencil. _How could they have not seen him?_ The isles in the pharmacy weren't very tall at all; compared to Roxas' height, they came to about the height of his eyebrows. So if his line of vision was right at Axel's stomach, he was definitely much taller than the isle, and his friends should have seen him very easily. He didn't recall there being anyone else in the store when they had arrived, only Kairi's grandparents. And if anyone had came in after them, or left right after they had stopped talking, he would have heard the bell chime. _It just doesn't make any sense at all..._

Roxas sighed softly as he let the pencil in his hand drop to the notebook on his desk, propping his elbow up upon the ugly beige surface and looked out the window, his familiar getaway from the classroom. He could see the magnolia trees outside were in full bloom, the white, tough flowers dotting the trees' branches, establishing Spring's arrival, along with pink cherry blossom trees that he had seen come to bloom in the local park every day as he walked to school. He sat there staring at the magnolia trees, recalling fond memories of his childhood, remembering the time he had taught his younger brother, Sora, how to climb a tree. Such good times...

But something in the shadows of one of the magnolia trees caught his eye. He had never seen a red magnolia flower before...Roxas suddenly felt nauseous. He could feel sick rising in his throat as he nearly fell out of his chair in shock. It couldn't be, it can't be...

_It's Axel_, Roxas thought in dread, as the figure became more prominent now that he had taken notice. He was leaning back against the trunk of the tree, his arms folded behind his head as he stared at Roxas from across the street, seeming to be completely content with what he was doing, as if it wasn't a big deal at all. _What is he doing here? How does he know where I go to school? Oh no...does he know where I live, too? _The thought of the redhead following him home made him feel even sicker as nausea gave away to fear. He had always heard the city was full of dangerous people, but he had been hoping he would be spared from having to experience it first hand. He had to get away, away from the window. He was pretty sure he had never shot his hand up in the air quicker at any point in his life other than now.

"Be sure to know the definition of 'Manifest Destiny' and be able to explain how it influenced the expansion of the United States, such as the Louisiana Purchase...Am I going too fast for you, Roxas?" Mr. Ansem could see the student waving his hand around like he was trying to land an aircraft out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh, no sir," Roxas replied, feeling a few glances from other classmates on him, but they weren't bothering him nearly as much as the idiot that was clearly staring at him from across the road. "I just really need to go to the restroom." Mr. Ansem gave Roxas an approving nod, and Roxas quickly rose to his feet, stealing a final glance out the window as he rose to his feet. But as he looked at the spot where Axel had previously been sitting, he was gone.

Roxas didn't have time to be upset about it. He wanted to just be out of that classroom for a few minutes to clear his head.

* * *

***Week 0, Day 3, Saturday***

If there was one thing in this world that was harder than Chemistry homework, it was trying to trick a smart dog that hated baths to stay still long enough to be leashed to prevent from escaping their oncoming ordeal. This was something that the Grimm family was all too familiar with.

"C'mere, Rocket!" Sora called to the Border Collie in an encouraging tone, slapping at his knees and making clicking noises with his tongue in an attempt to excite the dog and approach him. But despite any and all of Sora's efforts, the dog refused to approach him, only circling the 13 year old with his tail wagging and his tongue hanging out, seeming to be completely content with his dirty and smelly self. Every time Sora took a step forward, the dog would take two steps back, keeping his distance. Normally, Rocket would be jumping all over the kid, barking and licking him all over in excitement, but he always seemed to know when Sora and Roxas were plotting against him, much to their dismay. It took much longer to actually get a leash on Rocket than it did to actually give him a bath.

Roxas was sitting upon the front steps of his home, watching the scene before him with with a content and amused grin. It was pretty funny, watching his brother trying his hardest to get Rocket leashed and failing miserably every time. He would have been out there with Sora to try to help him, but he was feeling hesitant. He honestly didn't want to be outside at all after he had seen Axel watching him from a tree at school, and he was starting to get paranoid about it all. But in spite of his fears, he knew that Rocket was a firecracker, and Sora had no chance of even getting Rocket leashed, let alone bathed, without his help. Heaving a sigh, Roxas pushed his thoughts of Axel aside. He had to pretend like there was nothing wrong. After he had calmed down, he was ready to help Sora out.

"He knows you're trying to leash him to take a bath, waving around the leash like that." Roxas snickered as he pushed himself up off the front steps, approaching his brother and snatching away the yellow corded rope.

"Well I'm guessing you have some kind of master ingenious plan, Dog Whisperer?" Sora retorted, the joke making Roxas chuckle even more.

"Actually, I do." Roxas replied, handing Sora an uncooked hot dog to replace the leash that he had taken away. The sight of the exchange between the two of them definitely caught the dog's attention, his black ears perking as he sniffed at the air, dark eyes growing wide as his tail started to wag faster. Roxas leaned in to his brother to speak a little softer. "You know he loves hot-dog. Just get him to come to you with this, and get a good grip on him so I can sneak up and leash him, okay?"

"Rocket isn't stupid, Roxas." Sora rolled his eyes as he made wide hand gestures to back up his frustration. "He won't fall for that and you know it. Shelby, maybe, but not Rocket." He was making reference to their other dog, who was a German Shepherd and Husky mix, and she was much easier to handle than the hyperactive collie.

"Look at him, Sora." Roxas commanded. Sora looked at their furry companion and noticed how very interested Rocket was in the hot-dog in his hand. To test Roxas' theory, he shook the processed meat in his hand a bit, and watched as Rocket licked his lips hungrily, and started whimpering softly. Sora went even farther, moving his hand up, down, side to side, Rocket not taking his eyes off the food for even a second.

"You know, I think this just might work."

"Duh, of course it will. I'm a genius. Now call him over." Roxas balled up the rope in his hand and slid it behind his back, taking a few steps away from Sora to get Rocket to feel more comfortable about coming over. Just as Roxas anticipated, once Rocket couldn't see the leash anymore, he made a beeline for Sora and the treat waiting for him, whimpering eagerly as the canine's body shook with excitement. Sora broke the hot-dog in half, crouching down to give the first half to the dog, who didn't hesitate to inhale the meat. The brunette grinned as he gave Rocket the second piece, this time while Rocket was distracted, he hooked his hand through the dog's navy blue collar to keep him in place.

"Rahh!" Roxas grunted as he dashed forward, practically tackling the dog over and grabbing his collar, hooking the leash through the metal clasp successfully. Rocket didn't know what hit him.

"Well golly, it worked!" Sora exclaimed with a wide grin, petting the disgruntled dog's head, the collie giving him a his most pitiful "how-could-you-betray me" look, but it wasn't phasing the brunette a bit. "You could be, like, the next Cesar Millan or something."

"You watch way too much T.V." Roxas replied with an equal grin. He was glad to have a little brother like Sora, and it made dealing with such a life changing move a lot easier. Even though Sora was about 5 years younger than him, Roxas always thought of Sora like a friend, just as much as a brother. He could always depend on Sora if there was no one else there for him, and he hoped that Sora felt the same about him. Though, it seemed Sora wasn't having that much trouble with making friends as he was, but he tried not to think about it. And judging by how Roxas had not seen Axel yet, he was starting to think that he was really gone this time.

He looped the leash several times around his arm, making sure that he had a good grip on it, because Rocket was one hell of a struggler. The canine was trying his best to escape from his master's evil clutches, but all his efforts were in vain as Roxas tied him securely around a small tree sitting in their front yard. "You got the hose and soap, right?"

"Right here." Sora took a few steps back to retreive the items and bring them back, adjusting the hose's nozle so that it was on a shower setting, the best setting for giving their dogs a bath. "Why do you think he hates baths so much? It's not like were shaving him or something."

"Well if you were leashed up to a tree naked and sprayed with ice cold water I don't think you'd be too excited about it either. I know I wouldn't- Hey, watch where you're spraying that!" Roxas brought his hands to his face to sheild the oncoming cold water from his face coming from the hose.

"You afraid of a little water?" Sora snickered as he brought the hose away from the dog, blasting his older brother with the hose at full force. Roxas squeezed his eyes shut and fought against the oncoming shower of water, sputtering as the water filled his mouth as he tried to choke out a reply, his blue T-shirt and black shorts become soaked due to Sora's spraying.

"Sora, cut it out, you're wasting water!"

"So? I'm having fun."

"That only makes one of us- HA!" Roxas lunged forward, toppling over the dog, making poor Rocket yelp in surprise as Roxas snatched the hose away from Sora, catching the brunette by surprise and making him stumble back a bit. Roxas jumped to his feet and smirked with evil intent as he aimed the hose at his stunned brother, and let it loose. "Payback's a bitch, ain't it?"

"Ahhhh! Roxas, its COLD!" Sora whined as he covered his face with his hands, and started to run away to escape Roxas' revenge, fleeing just beyond the water's reach on the porch.

"You shouldn't have sprayed me first, moron." Roxas said as he released his grip on the handle of the hose, the water ceasing it's flow. He reached up to brush the long strands of blond hair that had fallen in front of his face away, tucking the longer ones behind his ear. He'd have to fix his hair later so it wouldn't stay flat. "Now come back and help me."

"That wasn't fair." Sora grumbled as he came up off the porch, squeezing the water out his brown hair and ruffling it with his fingers to get it out of his face as well as he walked back to Roxas and the dog.

"Hey, you started it." Roxas replied as he turned the hose on once again, this time using it on the dog, like they had originally intended. Rocket made a grunting sound of discomfort as he tried to jerk away, but he was stopped as Sora bent down to get a good grip on the dog to keep him from struggling. Roxas also tried his best not to get Sora wet in the process, not wanting to start another water war. "Okay, now make sure you don't get soap in his ears this time. That was one nasty ear infection."

"I know." As Roxas cut off the water, the eldest of the two grabbed the soap and squirted some into his hand, then some in Sora's waiting hand. As they started to massage the unscented dog shampoo into Rocket's fur, the dog gave short grunts, clearly unhappy with the entire situation.

Roxas heard Sora start talking about something that had taken place at school the previous day, but Roxas wasn't really listening. It wasn't because he didn't care. Roxas had suddenly gotten the feeling that he was being watched...again. While nodding to his brother as though he was paying attention, his blue eyes scanned the surrounding area in search of the source, feeling dread starting to overshadow his good mood. _Please, in the name of all things good in this world, let it be a squirrel..._Well, Roxas was pretty sure that there was no such thing as a bright, crimson red squirrel, otherwise there was a gigantic one perched on his roof.

_How the heck did he get all the way up on the roof? _Roxas thought, a frown forming on his lips, it being the first thought to cross his mind, until another, more frightening one caught his attention. _Shit...this creeper knows where I live! _Roxas could feel his stomach lurch. Axel was sitting on his roof, his legs dangling over the side of the roof and grinning at his widely, even going so far as to give Roxas a little wave.

"Hey, um, Roxas? You okay? You look like you're about to throw up on Rocket." Sora said, his nose turned up a bit. "I don't think he'd appreciate it that much,."

"Sora...can I ask you something?" Roxas said unevenly, still keeping his eyes glued onto the intruder on his rooftop. He wasn't taking his eyes off of him, not for a second, as long as he was near his house. He had no idea what Axel's intentions were, but Roxas was not comfortable with him here at all. He also wanted to see if Axel would try to make a getaway if Sora tried to turn around to look at him. Roxas was going to prove whether or not Axel was just some weird figment of his imagination or if everyone else was as just slow as hell.

"Uh, sure."

"Do you see anything on the roof, anything at all?" Sora's brows pushed together at the odd question, turning his head to look over his shoulder to look at the roof. Axel seemed to catch wind of what Roxas was up to, because his grin only grew wider as he brought his hands to his face and made moose-like horns with his hands on each side of his face and stuck out his tongue, crossing his eyes. In short, Axel was trying to make himself look as stupid as possible. With Axel acting out like that, Roxas was certain that Sora wasn't going to miss him, he was sure of it!

"Um...no, why?" Sora replied after a few seconds of silence, turning back to look at his brother, only to find the color had completely drained from his face. "Are you sure you're okay, you look really sick or somethin'...Hey, wait, where are you going?"

"To lie down. I think I've got a migraine." Roxas lied, the truth being more along the lines of 'I think I'm losing my fucking mind.' He groaned as he got to his feet and walked away from Sora and Rocket, the brunette having trouble handling the collie by himself.

"But what about Rocket? I can't do this by myself, Roxas!"

"Figure something out, I can't take this anymore." Roxas called over his shoulder in an irritated tone, rubbing his eyes firmly before looking back up at the roof, and sure enough, Axel was gone.

Something was definitely wrong.

* * *

***Week 0, Day 7, Wendsday***

It was official. Roxas had a stalker.

Roxas saw Axel everywhere he went. He could be at school, and he would see Axel slinking around in the trees or among the other people in the hallway. It didn't stop there; Roxas would be crossing the street, minding his own business, and Axel would be crossing the exact same street in the opposite direction. He would flash a toothy grin at the blond as he passed by, leaving him stunned. Despite any attempt he made to adjust his school-to-home route, the mysterious man always seemed to find him. But he would never approach Roxas as he had done in the past. He would just watch Roxas, the same devilish look in his eye that he had when Roxas had met him the first time, sometimes licking his lips, like a predator contemplating his plan of attack.

And it only freaked Roxas out even more that he was the only one who could see him.

"For the last time, Roxas," Hayner huffed irritably as he scribbled down the answer to one of his math homework's problems. "I don't see this guy you keep talking about!"

_You can't be serious, _Roxas wanted to wail as he laid his head down on the picnic table before him and groaned in frustration. He was right there! _Right there!_ Sitting on one of the bleachers, glaring _right at them_! He was always there when he came to the recreation center…in that very spot. Roxas' younger brother, Sora, played baseball in the local recreation center varsity team, so Roxas would spend his Mondays and Wednesdays at the center to watch his brother play, or try to get ahead in his homework before walking back home with the exhausted brunette. He had seen Axel on Monday, and came up with an idea; the redhead didn't seem to show up whenever Roxas was around other people, so he had asked Hayner to come over to the center with him the following Wednesday to work on Algebra II homework, hoping that he would find some sort of peace with his friend's presence.

Well, obviously, his plan was failing miserably.

"Look, Roxas, you asked me to come here to help you with math homework, not to look for your imaginary friend."

"What am I, four? I don't have an imaginary friend." Roxas groaned into the wooden surface. At first, Roxas' paranoia was amusing to his friends, but now they were starting to get a bit peeved about it. Everywhere they went, Roxas always saw this guy that he had met at the pharmacy, but Hayner and company never saw him.

"Imaginary friend, stalker, creeper, whatever you want to call him." Hayner sighed as he looked up from his homework and started to tap the end of his mechanical pencil on the table. "Roxas, you're really starting to freak me out about this 'Axel' thing. This isn't like you, man, being all paranoid and high strung, you know?"

Roxas closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Hayner was right, and he was positive that all of his friends felt the same way. But he was also sure that they would be acting the same way if they were in the same situation. Surely he wasn't going crazy? Well, besides the fact that he was still trying to adjust to city life, and he wasn't exactly the most well liked person in his school, he still had his parents, his annoying yet silly little brother that Roxas always watched over, a seemingly great group of friends, his life was pretty normal. And that's how Roxas wanted it to stay. And this Goku wannabe was screwing it up with his disappearing act.

_I'll just confront him_, Roxas thought, determination flaring in his sapphire eyes as he sat back up. _I'll just tell him to back off and leave me alone. Geez, why didn't I do this earlier? _

"I'm sorry Hayner…" Roxas sighed, scratching the side of his head as he looked at his friend apologetically. "I guess I'm just stressed out lately is all." Hayner perked a brow, as if he didn't believe him.

"Look, don't sweat it, dude." Hayner shrugged casually and looked back down at his worksheet, and started to chew on the pencil's eraser absent mindedly. "I don't really blame you, school tends to get pretty rough this time of year, and you're new, after all. Just chill out for a while, maybe 'it' will go away. Then we can take you back out into public again."

"Ha ha, very funny." Roxas rolled his eyes, and Hayner snickered under his breath. Roxas just shook his head and gave his friend a playful shove as he rose to his feet. "I'm gonna go get a soda, you want anything?" Roxas lied. He didn't even have a quarter in his pocket, but he didn't want to use the typical, girly "I gotta go to the bathroom" excuse. He needed an excuse to go confront his stalker.

"Yeah, go get me a Coke." Hayner replied as he shoved a hand into his pocket and withdrew a few quarters, handing them over to Roxas. "Don't be gone too long, we gotta finish this, and I don't think I can do this by myself without setting it on fire."

"I'll keep that in mind." Roxas chuckled as he took the change, shoving it in his pocket and making a mental note to get Hayner a soda before coming back.

Roxas looked up to the bleachers, and sure enough, Axel was still sitting there, his emerald eyes fixated on him, a smug grin on his face as he sat reclined in the metal bleachers. As he saw Roxas' gaze meet his, his small brow perked, his grin growing a little wider. It almost seemed like he was giving Roxas a "come hither" look. Roxas' brow furrowed as he glared at the redhead, stuffing his hands into his pockets and casually making his way across the field to the bleachers. He was about to give Axel a piece of his mind.

At least, until he heard a huge cheer off to his right, and he glanced over to see what the commotion was about. It was the pee-wee team, and one of the little kids had actually managed to hit the ball, and the kid's entire family was going completely insane. Typical sign of overbearing parents. As Roxas looked back at the bleachers, his jaw almost hit the ground.

Axel was gone.

_Are you kidding me? _Roxas snarled in his head, his hands balling into fists into his pocket. The disgruntled Roxas continued to walk over to the bleachers, which were now unpopulated except for the few discarded soda cans here and there. He looked to his left, then his right, looking for any trace of the redhead, but he was nowhere to be seen. He was fed up with Axel's little game, and he wanted answers_ now_.

"Hey! Don't hide from me!" Roxas called out, peering in between the bleachers to see if he was hiding behind them, but he wasn' t there either. "Come out from wherever you are!"

Silence. Roxas groaned in frustration.

"C'mon Axel!" Roxas called out again, hoping the use of his name might persuade him to reveal himself. "I don't got all day! Come out and show yourself!"

"If you insist, my dear Roxy!"

Roxas literally jumped out of his skin, causing him to lose his balance and fall back onto the bleachers, sucessfully wedging himself in between the metal bleachers, causing him to cry out in pain in his awkward position. Above him stood Axel, who was doubled over and laughing hard at Roxas' reaction.

"Man, that never gets old!" The redhead laughed heartily, shaking his head a bit. "I gotta say, Roxas, your reaction is the best I've seen yet!"

"Yeah, great." Roxas rolled his eyes a bit and tried to unwedge himself from the bleachers, but winced in pain as he hit a newfound bruise on the side of his leg from the fall. Well, he wouldn't be trying that again. "You mind giving me a hand?"

"Hmmm..." Axel reached up and tapped on his chin for a moment. "I _could _help you..." Just as even the tiniest glimmer of hope swelled in Roxas' chest, the redhead flashed him a sneer. "But it's gonna cost you."

"Cost me?" Roxas perked a brow, trying to pull himself up with his arms instead of wiggling out, but that proved to be fruitless as well. "Fine, whatever, just get me out."

"Oooh, you seem so eager," Axel placed a hand on his hip as he tilted his head to the side. "But you don't know what I'm going to ask you for in return. It's stupid to take a deal, Roxy, without reading the fine print."

"Okay then," Roxas frowned, already annoyed with these stupid antics. "What is the 'price' for you helping me?"

"Oh, nothing, really," Axel said in a rather teasing tone as he shrugged his shoulders dramatically, looking back down at the blond. "I just want your delicious looking golden locks."

"What?" Axel blinked, his grin turning into just a blank, "do you speak English" sort of look.

"Your hair, Roxas." He deadpanned.

Roxas just looked up at him, his brow furrowing in confusion. It would have been one thing if he had asked for money, or a favor of some sort. But...his hair...? That was probably the weirdest thing Axel could have asked for. Whatever his reason was for asking for his hair, Roxas was certain that this creeper wasn't going to get a single lock of his hair for anything. A situation like this wasn't worth losing his hair over.

"Pssh." Roxas snorted, trying to lift himself up with his arms again. "Okay, that has to be the stupidest thing you could think of. Seriously, will you help me out here?"

"You think I'm joking?" Axel's serious tone caught Roxas off guard, and he looked up to see that Axel had his arms folded now, looking down at the blond with a frown on his thin lips. Axel was dead serious.

"Uh...yeah?"

"Well, sorry to burst your bubble," Axel crouched down in front of him, extending out a long arm to ruffle Roxas' hair rather roughly. "But I'm being completely serious. So, what will it be, hm?"

"Don't touch my hair!" Roxas barked, shaking his head violently to shake the hand away, but Axel gripped his locks tightly, making the boy yelp as he tugged on his hair a bit.

"Listen, kid." Axel's tone got dangerously low as he glared at Roxas, causing his breath to catch in his throat. "I haven't eaten in almost 3 months now, and I am not the type that gives up on something he wants. Now, I made it clear I want your hair, and I mean I want it now."

"If you're so hungry, go buy a burger or something at the concession stand, you freak..." Roxas mumbled under his breath, starting to feel a bit intimidated. Axel's expression twisted from an angry frown to a threatening sneer.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Axel sneered, tugging at his hair again, making Roxas wince again. "Tell me, Roxy-kins, have you ever heard of Pretas?"

"Can't say I have..." Roxas replied quietly through clenched teeth. The moment he got out from in between these bleachers...oooh, was he going to tear this asshole a new one!

"That probably explains your ignorance." Axel loosened his grip on Roxas' hair a bit, but still kept a firm hold on him. Roxas only sat there, giving him a cold, seering glare with big blue eyes. Axel tilted his head a bit to the side in slight admiration. The blond didn't look that half bad as an individual, and if Axel could, he would have considered the boy attractive. But sadly, his libido was the last thing on his mind at this moment, and had been the last thing on his mind for many, many years. "A Preta, Roxy, is a demon or ghost that wanders the earth that are afflicted with the never-ending hunger for a certain object or sustenance. And when I say hunger, I mean literal hunger."

As if almost on cue, a familiar pain ripped through the redhead's stomach, causing him to wince a bit, though the wince was barely noticeable as he quickly shrugged it off. Recovering from the feeling, Axel took his free hand and ran his index finger along Roxas' jawline, a Cheshire cat-like grin forming upon his lips. "I have to say, your hair is rather delicious looking. I haven't tasted a blond for a long time now. So hard to come by natural blonde's these days..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Roxas' eyes grew wide as he shrugged off Axel's hand on his face. "You're saying you actually _eat hair_?" It was freaky enough that Axel was some kind of...ghost demon thing. But he ate hair, too? This was all too much for Roxas to take in at once, his mind was starting to reel from all of this new information.

"Oh, you catch on fast!" Axel chuckled as he withdrew his hand, the other hand in his hair stroking his blond locks slowly. "I won't sit here and bore you...and myself, with the details. I don't know about you, but I am just _starving_. Now, you have two options, little Roxy. You can give me your precious locks and I can go on my merry way, or you can refuse, and I will keep pestering you until you give them to me."

Roxas was still stuck on the fact that this guy ate hair. What on earth would make someone...or rather, a demon, _want_ to eat hair? Well, Roxas knew now why Axel had been following him around, but those questions were replaced by even more questions.

"I like to be a gentleman when it comes to my food, Roxas," Axel's voice tore through his train of thought. "But if you keep sitting there with that dumb look your face, I can't guarantee that I won't try to take your hair from you forcefully. I do hate to be so crass." Axel sighed a bit as he said the last sentence. "It's bad karma, and that's what I'm trying to repent for in the first place."

"What does karma have to do with this?" Roxas asked, hoping that if he distracted Axel with his questions, that he would become frustrated and leave him alone and go nom on someone else's hair. Axel sighed irritably, the last thing he really wanted to do was to play twenty questions when he was certian his stomach was starting to digest itself, but he answered Roxas' question anyway.

"I did some things in my past life that I'm not too proud of, so here I am now, as a Preta, repenting for my bad karma, yada yada yada." He waved his hand as to dismiss such an insignificant question. Axel's emerald eyes narrowed at Roxas, giving him another threatening glare. "Stop skating around my question and answer me. If you wanna know details, why don't you go Google it or something when you go home, however it is you find out information in this day and age. I'm hungry Roxas, so I'm not exactly too eager for a lengthy conversation here." Roxas could tell that Axel was starting to lose his patience, and Roxas was wondering just how long it would be until Axel started tearing out his hair at the roots.

"Um...uh...I-"

"ROXAS!"

Axel's grip on Roxas released completely at the sound of the calling voice, the boy wincing a bit, half expecting Axel to strike him, but as he looked back up, instead of seeing an infuriated redhead and furious green eyes, he saw huge, confused blue eyes.

"Roxas?" Sora tilted his head to the side a bit, his brow furrowing. "Why are you sitting like that and talking to yourself?"

"W-wha?" Roxas blinked, looking around wildly for Axel, who was just about to tear into him before his little brother showed up. As soon as Roxas was certain that Axel was not around, he heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He was never so relieved to see his brother in his entire life. "Hey, Sora, you mind helping me out a little?"

Sora laughed and rose to his feet, extending a comforting hand towards his older brother and helped him out between the Bleachers of Doom. Roxas and Sora both heard the cracking noises that Roxas' spine made as he stood up straight, causing the brunette to scrunch up his face.

"Ow, that sounded like it hurt." Sora said.

"Anything but!" Roxas mused as he stretched himself out, his back cracking a little bit more as he did so, then rolled his shoulders a bit, his cramped and tight muscles starting to loosen and relax. It was like a sweet breath of relief throughout his entire body. When he was finished, his shoulders slumped, and Roxas felt very tired. "Well, I'm guessing you're finished for the day?"

"Mmmhm." Sora replied with a grin as he picked up his sports bag from beside him, slinging it over his shoulder. "Sorry to make you wait so long, but the coach wasn't in the best of moods today and made us run twice as much in the beginning of practice."

"It's fine." Roxas shrugged as he and his brother came down from the bleachers. "Hey, I gotta go get Hayner a soda real quick, and then we can jet, that sound okay?"

"I want a soda too!" Sora beamed as he jammed his hand into his sports bag, his hand searching desperately for loose change. "Er...um...I thought I had a dollar in here...AHA!" Sora withdrew the currency from his bag, holding it over his head triumphantly. Roxas could only shake his head and chuckle at his little brother's antics as they walked away towards the soda machines. He was putting up a friendly front for his brother, when in reality he was very worried and anxious about what Axel had said. Judging by the way he couldn't see Axel anymore, he figured the demon split when his brother showed up due to the interruption. Roxas hoped he was gone for good, but something told him that he wasn't.

He didn't see Axel off in the distance, who was standing atop the recreational center's rooftop, arms crossed at his chest as he watched his prey slip from between his fingers yet again. Another hunger pain ripped through his stomach, causing him to clench his teeth. If only he could take Roxas' offer and grab a burger at the concession stand. If only his past sin in life had something to do with hamburgers, or any sort of food that Axel had liked as a mortal. It would have made his job so much easier, and made it a lot easier to satisfy his hunger, even if it was momentarily. And it would be a lot tastier, too. As the pain died down, Axel returned his focus on Roxas, feeling an amuse smile cross his face.

Well, if Roxas wasn't going to give it up willingly, he was just going to have to torture Roxas until he got what he wanted. Blond was Axel's favorite, and he wasn't about to pass up this golden opprotunity. Pun fully intended.

* * *

_**Kept the pun. Hated it so much that I loved it. XD**_

_**I like reviews, btw. Faster updates for reviewsss 3**_


	3. Mild Annoyance?

_**A/N: Surprisingly, there weren't very many edits done to this chapter. To me, it's pretty much fine the way it is. But there were a couple, though.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

***Week 1, Day 8, Thursday***

The next morning, Roxas was awakened abruptly by his alarm clock that had been set for 7 am, like every morning. However, Roxas wasn't the type that jumped out of bed like a ray of sunshine in the mornings. He needed to wake up gradually. So, he'd set his alarm for 7, and allow himself to gradually wake up via snooze button until 7:15. It was a system that he had been using since middle school, and it was proving to be quite effective.

The blonde groaned and slammed a palm on the alarm, then laid back on his bed to await the first set of snooze alarms. His sapphire blue eyes drifted to a close, his mind still clouded and stuck in between being in a dream and being awake, and resumed the dream he was having, which had something to do with playing tic tac toe with his little brother, Sora.

The second set of alarms rolled around, to which Roxas replied with another groan, though not as pained as the last, and then settled back onto his bed. He was still a little stuck inbetween his dream, but he was a bit more alert. Roxas had won a round of tic tac toe, to which Sora pouted, but then smiled and reached up to pet his older brother on the head. A weird gesture on Sora's part, but hey, it was a dream, so he was fine with it.

At least, he thought it was a dream...the petting seemed to be a bit too realistic...

"Good morning, Sunshine~" A familiar voice purred, erupting through Roxas' dream. His eyes shot open and he found himself face to face with a rather unique character, who was strattling him and stroking his hair rather intently: Axel.

"What the hell?" Roxas screamed and shot a fist forward, nailing the redhead square in the face and causing him to cry out, withdrawing his hand from Roxas hair. Roxas threw another punch with enough force to knock the intruder clear off the bed and onto the floor with a loud _THUNK. _While the intruder was stunned, Roxas took this time to jump off the bed, his adrenaline pumping at this point, and grabbed a baseball bat that leaned up against the wall of his barely lit room.

"Wow, geez, that hurt." Axel whined, reaching up to rub his face and groaning from the pain, but he was suddenly distracted by the presence of a baseball bat right in his face, his expression suddenly fearful. "Hey, hey now," Axel's voice sounded a bit annerved as he brought his hands protectively in front of his face. "Let's not resort to violence so quickly!"

"What the hell are you doing in my room?" Roxas snarled, having pointed the bat in Axel's face accusingly, then bringing it over his shoulder, ready to strike the intruder. "And how did you get in my house?" Roxas was almost positive that Rocket and Shelby would have seen Axel. After all, from what he had heard on T.V, dogs could sometimes sense spiritual energy. How the heck did Axel get past them without them noticing? Their feverent barking would have surely awoken Roxas in time to be aware of the demon's presence.

"You forget, Roxy," Axel said in a slightly snide tone, the corner of his lip perking into a grin. "I'm a demon. I don't exactly need to use your front door." Roxas gripped his bat, a slight growl coming from him as he glared daggers down at the redhead.

"What do you want." Roxas growled, it being more of a statement than a question.

"I thought we already established this." Axel replied simply, keeping one hand in front of him in the event that Roxas followed through with his swing, slowly rising to his feet and smoothing out his spiky red hair a bit. "I'm here for your hair. I told you if you didn't give it to me, I was going to pester it out of you."

Roxas shook his head in disbeleif as he kept his eyes on the Preta. He was still hell bent on getting his hair? He had been hoping he had seen the last of him yesterday...

"Oooh, your bed looks really comfy!" Axel mused, his eyes tearing away from the blond before him and onto the unkempt bed that Roxas had been sleeping on only minutes ago.

"Uh, thanks I guess...Hey, don't touch it!"

Axel, ignoring Roxas' command, did a side step and fell back onto his bed, arms outstretched and making the bed bounce a bit as the demon made contact. Axel shuttered a bit as he grinned wide.

"Ahhhh...This is very nice," Axel purred as he drew his eyes to a close, one of his palms pressing into the mattress. "Is this one of those new memory foam mattresses? I could definately get used to this." Roxas was about to unleash his fury on the unsuspecting Preta's ungaurded crotch area with his bat until he caught glimpse of his clock. It was close to 7:30 am, and Roxas only had a quarter of an hour to get ready for school until he had to get on the bus. Heaving an exaspirated sigh, the blond shook his head once again and let the bat fall to the floor.

"Fine, whatever," Roxas said, throwing up his hands in defeat. "Sleep in it all you want, but there's no way you're touching my hair, so you might as well go find someone else to bother."

"Awww, but that wouldn't be any fun." Axel pouted, twisting in his laying position so he was fully on Roxas' bed, laying on his stomach with his chin propped up with his palms. "Besides, I think you're starting to grow on me, Roxy! I do enjoy your company! It's not often my prey keeps me around for long, you know?"

_Gee, I wonder why, _Roxas thought as he rolled his eyes, turning his back to the redhead who was humming to himself contently as the blond went to his chest of drawers to grab something to wear for the day. After grabbing what he could gather was a t-shirt of some sort and some pants of some type, for all he really cared about was not being in the nude, he was about to start undressing until he felt a shiver run down his spine.

"You wanna not stare while I change, Axel?" Roxas huffed, eyeing the redhead over his shoulder, who was staring at Roxas intently with a sneer on his face.

"I think I will, thanks." Axel replied. "I'm sure it'll be a rather nice view. Besides," Axel winked at the small blond. "I wanna be sure the carpet matches the drapes." Roxas just gave Axel a blank look, grabbing his clothes and swiftly walking out of his room to enter the bathroom across the hall. Flipping on the light, he quickly closed the door behind him and locked the door. As the door made that reassuring _click, _Roxas heaved a sigh of releif. He wasn't about to give Axel the pleasure of his anger through the redhead's tactics. Ah, sweet silence.

"Well that was rather rude, Roxy." Axel pouted from behind his shoulder. The sound of Axel's voice made the boy's shoulders brisk, quickly turning around to face the persistent demon.

"If you want my hair so badly," Roxas said in an irritated tone, reaching over to the sink and shoving a navy blue hairbrush into Axel's hands. "Here, just take what's on my hairbrush, then go away and let me change my clothes in_ peace_!" Axel blinked, a bit surprised by the boy's reaction, and looked down at the hairbrush that had been given to him. From what he could see between the black bristles, there were strands of Roxas' hair in it, all right, but he could also see a different set of strands in it as well, belonging to the brunette variety. Axel wrinkled his nose a bit as he picked out a few blond strands. He hated brown hair, mostly because it reminded him of mud, which is exactly what it tasted like to the Preta, but sometimes, he'd just have to toss in the towel and say 'beggars can't be choosers.' Besides, when you're starving, it didn't seem to matter that much.

"But these are stale," Axel pouted as he sniffed at the strands, though despite their staleness, he was considering eating them anyway. But he wanted to see if he could coax a fresher option out of his little blond prey, so he quietly stuffed the strands into his pocket to keep for when Roxas' wasn't looking. "I want your hair, Roxas, the hair on your head! Are you going to be so cruel as to deny someone food to ease their hunger?"

"Okay, now you sound like you're in a cheezy soap." Roxas groaned as he spit out his toothpaste, having brushed his teeth in the time that Axel was staring at the hairbrush. "I don't have to give you anything, and you aren't even human, so it's not like you'll die from it, so I owe you nothing."

"So cruel!" Axel whined as he tossed the hairbrush over his shoulder, it bouncing off the side of the counter and successfuly landed in the toilet. Axel grinned and pumped his fist. "Score!"

"Axel!" Roxas growled as he pushed past the redhead and peered into the toilet, silently praying that Sora didn't forget to flush. Fortunately, fate decided to be in his favor ever so slightly, the toilet being clean with clean water, and a plastic navy blue hairbrush sitting at the bottom.

Was he going to pick it up?

Uh, no.

Roxas bit the inside of his cheek to keep from flying off the handle, running his fingers through his hair to take the place of the hairbrush for the day. His usual hairstyle made it looked as though he had slept in it anyway, so he wasn't too concerned. Now, Sora will be extremely upset once he finds the hairbrush in the toilet. But that wasn't Roxas' problem; Roxas' problem was trying to find a way to deal with Axel until either he cracked under the pressure or Axel got bored with him. He was hoping for the latter.

* * *

Why Axel found it nessesary to sing (rather badly) Untouched at the top of his lungs in Roxas' ear while he was trying to take a Spanish test was beyond him. But it took alot of mental strength to keep from breaking his pencil in two and gouging the demon's eyes out with the pointed and jagged edges. Of course, to everyone else in the room, it would just look like he was pounding his pencils into the floor and laughing like a maniac. He couldn't have that!

His entire day at school was Hell. Capitalized. Axel went out of his way to make Roxas as uncomfortable and miserable as he could. Besides ruining his focus with his very bad karaoke skills, he would sit on the blond's desk and prevent him from doing any work at all, delibriately knock his pencils repeatedly to the floor, or throw his textbooks out the window when the teacher had his back turned. But his math class was the most painful experience yet; the redhead made Roxas sit in his lap the entire class period, leaving Roxas at the mercy of Axel petting and sniffing at his hair longingly. He was suffering a headache from clenching his teeth so tight during the whole ordeal, trying his hardest not to draw attention to the fact that he was gritting his teeth and drawing little doodles on the side of his paper of him maiming Axel in the most painful way possible. How could he possibly concentrate on the lesson about graphing logarithms with this nusiance? But Axel didn't pay any mind to the gritting or the doodling, he just sat there with a grin on his face as he petted the blond's soft hair, hoping his teasing would make a few strands fall out.

At one point, Axel started nuzzling Roxas' head, which caused the blond to lose it.

"Stop it!" Roxas hissed and turned in his seat to glare at Axel. But, of course, to Pence, who was sitting behind him, it looked as though Roxas was looking at him. Apparently, Roxas' outburst was a bit louder than he intended, because he not only attracted Pence's attention, but the other students in his proximity. Roxas immediately flushed, wanting to retreat under the nearest rock and not come out until the end of his junior year.

"I'm not doing anything, Roxas." Pence said, perking a brow. "What's with the attitude?" Roxas looked past Axel's shoulder, the odd body gesture making Pence, and everyone else around him, look at him even more skeptically.

"Sorry, Pence," Roxas replied solemnly, though his eye twitched a bit as Axel started nuzzling his hair again. "I thought you kicked me." He then flicked his hand over his head, slapping the Preta away again. "There was a fly on my head." He tried to make up an excuse for his actions so he didn't look too much like a complete weirdo, but his efforts were in vain as the other students began to snicker and roll they eyes at his display.

"Great cover." Axel snorted, dismissing the resistance and coiled his thin arms around the boy's frame, then nuzzled his head back into Roxas' hair. "Wouldn't want to make yourself look any weirder than you already do, right Roxy?" He could have sworn that Axel was nibbling, but he couldn't do anything without starting a scene.

Roxas just whined quietly and turned his attention back to the board, unable to do anything. It had not been a day yet and Roxas didn't know how much more of this he could take. He was already having enough trouble trying to fit in before Axel showed up...and now Axel was just making everything worse.

* * *

_**About Untouched...it was the first song that came on my ipod when I shuffled it. Luck of the draw I suppose? XD**_


	4. No More Excuses

_**A/N: If you started out here via alert, I suggset you go back to chapter 1 and reread up until here. **_

**_A shoutout to the self proclaimed 'Preta' who hungers for my stories and lemonsmuts, BeehiveOneThreeOneZer0; You can take the finger trap off now. Haha. She's made fanart of this story, which makes her even more cool. Check my profile for the link!_**

**_Enjoy xp_**

* * *

***Week 1, Day 11, Sunday***

"Ooooh~ This is a song that never ends, yes it goes on and on my friend~"

_Maybe if I just pretend I'm not listening, he'll stop singing. He wants to annoy me, right? Maybe if he thinks he's not annoying me, he'll try something else...just as long as he doesn't sing. _Roxas told himself, determined not to let Axel get the best of him and start a scene in public, which is what it seemed like Axel was trying to do. It had been a little over a week since Roxas had first met Axel, and with each passing day, it was becoming more difficult to hide the fact that he had a supernatural being following him around that wanted something from him. Oh no, not his blood or his immortal soul like most people would expect from demons. His hair, of all things. However, Roxas was determined not to let Axel get the best of him.

It wasn't so much that he had patience; he frequently lost it easily once he was out of sight of other people or in the safety of his own home. His parents were starting to worry why he seemed to be yelling at people over the phone in his room, when in reality he was yelling at the demon that was going around and setting things in his room on fire, knocking books and empty cans of Axe cologne off of his dresser over and over again, and throwing his clothes into a huge pile in the middle of the floor, holding a pair of Roxas' boxers over his head and knighting himself as 'The Real Captian Underpants.' There were several reasons why he put up with it, one being that he knew that he didn't owe Axel anything, and it wasn't like he was threatening to eat his firstborn child or bring about the apocalypse if he didn't give him his hair.

"Some people started singing it not knowing what it was~"

_Who am I kidding? He'll never stop, he never does stop! His singing is like fingernails on a chalkboard! No... something worse. So much worse that I can't think of anything to put it into words. _Roxas cringed as he felt the wall of determination he had built between his sanity starting to crumble with every shrill note that Axel hit with his voice. He wanted so badly to stand up and scream, cursing at Axel until he was blue in the face. But he knew that's what Axel wanted. He didn't want to give into the stress. The way that Roxas had it figured, if he could overcome this red, spiky headed obstacle in his life right now, he could overcome anything; Including his insecurities about his backround and find the peace of mind he needed to become more comortable in his new home.

"And they'll continue singing it forever just because this is a song that never ends~"

"Hey, Axel, you wanna know something?" Roxas said in a poisonous tone as he sank lower into the bench that he was sitting on, trying his best to shrink away from the amused redhead standing over him that was singing the most annoying song known to man at the top of his lungs. The sound of Roxas' voice caught the Preta's attention and caused him to stop mid-sentence, looking down at the frustrated blonde in front of him.

"I think I know 'something.' I know alot of 'somethings.' But go ahead, do tell." Axel gave Roxas a toothy grin as he leaned over the bench, doing his best to invade on his personal space in regaurds to Roxas' face, coming so close that his nose almost made contact with Roxas' forehead. Bubble? What bubble?

"Did you know that every time you start to sing, a penguin dies a horrible death?" Roxas asked flatly, seeming to be completely serious. "They're endangered, you know, so why don't you do the penguins of the world a favor and just shut the hell up?"

"Oh, those poor penguins!" Axel threw his palm to his forehead melodramatically. "Whatever shall they do to survive?" Axel's greived expression suddenly faded as he gave Roxas a blank look, his brows perked, tone becoming equally blank. "Oh, here's a thought, it's called 'evolution.' You know, when animals adapt to their surroundings to survive? Or did you happen to miss that little factoid in your Biology class? They'll live."

"But I won't." Roxas groaned as he pushed Axel away from him and sat upright, buring his face into his hands. _What the heck is taking Hayner and Kairi so long, _Roxas whined to himself, wishing that his friends would show up so they could study together for a Chemistry test the next day like they had planned, forcing Axel to keep his tormenting to a minimun. They had agreed to meet in the local park to study, seeing as the weather forecast had said the weather on Sunday was going to be great. But for some reason, they were taking their sweet time to get here...in fact, Roxas had been sitting here for almost an hour. He could understand fifteen minutes, maybe even thirty...but an hour?

"C'mon, stop being such a sourpuss and sing it with me!" Axel mused as he placed his hands on the teen's shoulders, squeezing them a bit. "This is a song that never ends~"

"I don't like singing." Roxas replied bitterly, looking up to meet the Preta's gaze. Besides, he was in public. If people saw someone sitting on the bench and singing "this is a song that never ends" to himself, it would be very difficult to explain to the men in white coats that "the demon made me do it."

"Aw, but I heard you singing in the shower this morning." Axel's brow perked as he looked back down at Roxas, releasing his grip on the boy's shoulders. "And you have a very nice singing voice, Roxy."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere." Roxas rolled his eyes, but he was a bit amused by Axel's attempt. He heard Axel snap his fingers.

"Drat." Roxas had a feeling that was out of sarcasm.

"Just be thankful I'm letting you have whatever comes out of my hairbrush."

"Yeah, the one that was in the _toilet_? _So_ thoughtful."

"You're the one who threw it in the toilet to begin with."

_What's with this kid?_ Axel huffed, leaning over the bench beside Roxas and gave him a big pout. Roxas had been giving the Preta small morsels to at least keep him quiet for a while, from whatever came from the hairbrush to whatever strands fell out through Axel's teasing of his hair, even what ended up in the shower drain. Axel was desperate, and was honestly taking anything he could get. But he wanted more than the slim pickings he was getting. He wanted all of Roxas' hair on his head, and trying to convince the boy to cut his hair was proving to be very difficult. He was trying every trick in the book he had, but he was starting to run out of ideas. Normally, his prey would give up between three to five days, depending on how hungry Axel happened to be a the time. But he was kicking it into overdrive with Roxas, and he was starting to get annoyed with....well, acting annoying. His impatience was mostly driven by the twisting pain in his stomach that seemed to build every day, and though he was normally against resorting to drastic or violent measures, he was finding himself flirting with the thought of doing so. _He doesn't get it. He doesn't have a choice. I don't have a choice. I can't leave until he gives me his hair, even if I wanted to. _At the end of the day, it was Axel's stomach that ruled his actions.

"You know, Roxas, you are really stubborn about not cutting your hair."

"That's because I don't want to cut my hair." Roxas replied, running his fingers through his hair absentmindedly. "Geez, where is Hayner and Kairi?"

"Isn't that the guy with a big mouth and that chick who dresses like a slut?"

"You know, I don't really appreciate it when you say those kind of things about my friends." Roxas said, folding his arms at his chest, his tone containing traces of hurt. He hated it when Axel talked bad about his friends, even if some of the things he said was true. It might not be apart of Axel's agenda to care about how he felt, but he could at least try not to be such an ass when it came to touchy subjects like his friends.

"Pssh."

"What 'pssh'?" Roxas' frowned. How could Axel just shrug off his feelings like that?

"What?" Axel shrugged, not seeming the least bit concerned about the hurt look he was getting from the blonde. "Can I not "pssh" if I feel like it?"

"I know you don't like them...but do you think you could keep it to yourself?"

"I never said did or didn't like them." Axel shrugged again, looking out towards the open feild in front of them. "I just felt like 'pssh'-ing."

_That's a lie,_ Roxas wanted to say, but he didn't want to start an arguement that had a chance of getting pretty nasty, and thus leading to making an idiot out of himself to everyone else present. Roxas knew that Axel despised them, because he would become even more of an attention whore when they were around, doing his best to make a spectacle of himself to steal Roxas' attention. A good example of this was last Thursday when Roxas and his friends went to the pharmacy, as they always did, and Axel started going around each isle and knocking things off the shelves and throwing feminine products at Kairi and Olette, and the girls put the blame on Roxas, even though he was trying his best to get Axel to stop. It was a horrifying ordeal, and Roxas was pretty sure that they were still upset about it.

Roxas' heart sank as a thought struck him. Kairi was definately still upset about it, he was sure. The last thing she'd want to do on a Sunday afternoon was go study with some guy that had made fun of her feminine issues a few days earlier. And Kairi probably convinced Hayner not to show up to add insult to injury... leaving him in an all too familiar position of being left out in the cold. But maybe he was just over thinking things.

"You can go home if you don't want to be here." Roxas looked back at the redhead when he heard him yawn dramatically to see him having his head buried into the crook of his arm as he leaned over the bench beside him. He didn't want to entertain the thought of two of his friends shutting him out like this.

"But I don't want to miss another opprotunity of making your life miserable!" Axel chirped, suddenly lifting his head in the blond's direction with a huge grin on his thin lips. "Besides, leaving you alone would be-"

Suddenly, Axel went flying forwards, his face planting into the sitting part of the bench, his long legs dangling over the back of the bench.

"Geez, what the hell?" Axel snarled, his tone of voice changing dramatically as he flailed about, this sudden and rather odd gesture making Roxas very uncomfortable as he watched wide-eyed, his hands in front of him protectively to keep Axel's flailing feet away from him.

"Um...are you ok?" Roxas asked, his voice a little uncertian.

"Get off!" Axel snarled again, trying to twist his body around as he made a gesture of pushing someone off of him.

"I'm not even touching you, Axel, what's going on?"

"Huh?" Axel seemed to snap out of his tantrum, ceasing his flailing as he looked up at Roxas. "Oh...I guess you can't see him, huh?"

"See who?" Roxas was now very confused. What the heck was he talking about?

"Well, I'd be glad to show you if he would-" Axel grunted as he pushed on the unseen intruder again, bringing his knee to his chest and pushing outward with his foot. "GET OFF!"

"Whoa!" A new voice cried, following what sounded like a popping noise. Suddenly, Roxas saw a third person flying off of Axel and into the sidewalk before them, hitting the pavement pretty hard. "Yeeowch!" The newcomer yelped at contact.

"Serves you right." Axel spat, swinging his legs from over the bench to sit on it correctly, not looking the least bit concerned that whoever the new person was had just landed face first into the pavement.

"Axel!" Roxas growled, coming off of the bench to quickly kneel down beside the male still laying on the pavement, not really able to see much due to being covered by a black trenchcoat. He tried his best not to panic, and had half the mind to strangle Axel for what he had done, if trying to suffocate him would affect him at all. Could he kill a demon? But that was a theory to try out another day. Now Axel had gone and knocked out a random stranger! Roxas could only imagine what this looked like to anyone watching! If this turned out bad, Roxas just knew he would be blamed for it, and he would end up being charged with an assault that he didn't even commit.

"Hey, are you okay?" Roxas asked in a shaky voice, reaching out to touch the person gently, hoping that whoever it was, they were a kind hearted soul that wouldn't blame him for what had just taken place. _Pssh, like people like that actually exist around here, _Roxas heard an internal voice snort in the back of his head. But the touch caused the figure to stir.

"Uh....wha?" The stranger said, turning their head towards Roxas, blue eyes meeting sea green, only partially opened, as though confused. Suddenly, they shot open as the stranger sat up abruptly. "Hey, what was that for, Axel? I just wanted to say hello!"

Wait a second, did he just speak to Axel?

"And your definition of hello is faceplanting me into a bench?" Axel's brow perked as he rubbed the back of his neck, and sighed softly. "Roxas, this is Demyx." Roxas looked from Axel to the one named Demyx, completely dumbfounded. It was then he noticed that Demyx was dressed exactly like Axel, with a black trenchcoat with a hood, black boots, and black gloves. Could it be possible that he was a Preta, too?

"Whoa, this kid can see you?" Demyx asked dumbly, gesturing over to the blond beside him. It seemed that Roxas wasn't the only one who was confused.

"Yep, and thanks to me, he can see you, too." There was a breif silence as Roxas and Demyx stared at each other.

"Huh." Demyx snorted, reaching up to poke the teen's forehead, as if he didn't believe Axel.

"...Yes, that's my forehead." Roxas said in a dry sarcastic tone, the only thing he could really say at the time being.

"Well then," Demyx said, running a gloved hand through his hair and then extending a hand out to Roxas. "Like he said, I'm Demyx. It's not every day I talk to humans..."

"So...you're a Preta, too?" Roxas asked unenthusiastically. _Well, this is just great_, he thought to himself. _Now I'm going to have two of these stupid things following me around. _Roxas broke away from Demyx's gaze to look up into the clear, sunny sky above him with a frown. _To whoever it is that runs things up there, is this supposed to be some kind of spiritual rite of passage, or are you just screwing with me? Do I look like Haley Joel Osment(*) to you? If this is supposed to be a candid Discovery Channel documentary on demons or something, I'd like to be clued in on it before I start seriously considering taking Abilify. _Not surprised that he didn't recieve some sort of heavenly sign, Roxas looked back down at Demyx, who still had his hand stuck out but was giving Roxas a weird look. Like he hasn't seen tons of those lately. He wasn't about to shake the hand of a Preta that he didn't know where his hands had been.

"Took you long enough." Axel chuckled as he reclined in the bench, folding his arms behind his head. "But fortunately for you, Roxy, he doesn't eat hair."

"Nope." Demyx chimed in, almost in a sing-song tone as he smiled. "I eat sand."

_Sand? _Roxas thought, pursing his lips a bit and contemplating to himself wether or not he wanted to shake Demyx's hand. Did he have sand anywhere near his house? Not to his knowledge. Score! That meant that Demyx wouldn't be following him around! Roxas felt a grin curl on his lips as he did a happy dance in the safety of his own mind. He figured sand was safe enough, and returned the gesture by shaking the dirty blond's hand firmly.

"I'm Roxas, Axel's current obsession."

"Oooh," Demyx's eyes seemed to flood with understanding as he looked from Roxas to Axel. "He's got his eyes on your hair, huh?"

"Mmhm." Again, in an unenthusiastic tone.

"How long have you lasted so far?"

"It's been a little over a week, almost two weeks now."

"Really?" Demyx exclaimed, grinning. "Wow, that's a new record! You must have the patience of a saint."

"Oh shut up." Axel rolled his eyes as he looked at Demyx. "I'm not nearly as bad as you, tackling people into walls and benches and such."

"You're the only one who makes a big deal about it." Demyx shrugged. "Everyone else just takes it or hugs me back."

"Wait, there's more of you guys around here?" Roxas asked, a small part of him intrigued by the thought, but the much bigger majority was not so happy about it. He had figured, even hoped, that Axel was the only one around, at least in his town.

"Yeah." Demyx replied, coming up to stand on his feet and brushed out his coat. "There's lots of us, everywhere, around the world. Humans just can't see us though, so usually we never cross paths." Demyx seemed to roll his eyes a bit as he gestured towards Axel. "But he likes to get up close and personal when it comes to his food."

"Well, to be fair," Axel retorted, his small brow perking. "If I were human and my hair suddenly started to get pulled out by it's roots for no reason, I'd be a bit freaked out myself. I at least try to show some courtesy. All that bad karma to pay up for, you know?"

"Mmmhm." Demyx agreed in a mumble, rubbing his head as he looked down towards the pavement as he rubbed the back of his neck. Roxas gulped a little, feeling rather awkward at the current silence. Something seemed to overcast the two Pretas, and whatever it was, Roxas was out of the loop on this one. Questioning eyes looked over at Demyx, who was still looking down at the pavement, and then to Axel, who seemed to be looking off somewhere else as well. Roxas assumed that if the conversation had continued any longer, it would have brushed upon a topic that would have made the both of them uncomfortable.

"So..." Roxas finally broke the silence, unable to stand the tension any longer as he rose to his feet as well, stuffing his hands uncomfortably into his pockets. "Why exactly do you eat sand, Demyx?" _What a dumb topic to choose_, Roxas thought, his brow furrowing a bit. But that was also a question that he had been meaning to ask Axel, but Axel never seemed to give the blond two seconds to think on his own without annoying him to the point of wanting to smack him upside the head, which he actually did on several occasions. If he was going to be stalked by these demons, he at least wanted to know why. Demyx perked up a bit at Roxas' question.

"Has Axel not told you that kind of stuff already?" Demyx asked, his hand still on the back of his neck as he looked at the teen.

"He told me the basics, but he never told me why he eats hair." Roxas shrugged.

"Figures," Demyx said, grinning a bit. "He doesn't really like talking about it."

"I'm sitting right here, you know." Axel interrupted the two, his tone sounding a bit irritated, his emerald green eyes glaring at the other demon.

"Oh come on, Axel." Demyx chided, reaching over and coiling an arm around Roxas' shoulders, the teen blinking a bit in surprise at the gesture. "If you're going to stalk this kid for a while, you might as well tell him why!"

"I believe he asked _you_ why _you_ eat sand, not about me." Axel retorted, turning his head away from the pair and drawing his eyes to a close, showing obvious disinterest in the conversation. Roxas was a bit surprised with Axel's sudden change of mood; not even five minutes ago, Axel was singing "the song that never ends" and now he's pouting on the bench. Perhaps his reasons were a bit too personal for him to share with just anyone?

Demyx just rolled his eyes as he let go of the teen. "Whatever. Anyway, to answer your question," he began as he walked over to the bench to take a seat where Roxas had previously been sitting. "Sometimes the things Pretas hunger for have to do with their sin and sometimes it doesn't. In my case," Demyx made a sweeping motion to himself, rather dramatically. "Me eating sand doesn't really have anything to do with my sin. When I was alive, I was a theif. But I was also homeless...in a sense. I guess you could call it 'homeless'..." Demyx's brow scrunched together in thought. "Spent much of it on a boat."

"Were you a sailor?" Roxas asked, tilting his head a bit. Demyx snapped out of his trance and looked up at Roxas to give him a chuckle.

"Not really... You're probably going to wig out at this, but I was on the Mayflower."

"What?" Roxas squeaked, totally caught off gaurd. Demyx was a pilgram in his previous life? It was then his mind switched from shock to deep interest. This meant that Demyx knew what Early America was like, and there was probably a chance he even met early Native Americans. His love for history started to take over as he leaned in a bit, inquizzative blue eyes wide. "Wait, just how old are you?"

"I was a kid when I passed away," Demyx shrugged. "But if you're talking about that life and this one's combined, it's been several hundreds of years. Kinda lost count after the Civil War started."

"Because he can only count on his fingers and toes." Axel butted in, recieiving a small glare from the mullet head.

"I can count, thank you very much. I just lost track of time and all." Demyx said defensively as he crossed his arms. "Speaking of which, you shouldn't talk to your elders like that, you know. So rude."

"Oh, bite me you little twit." Axel rolled his eyes, completely unphazed.

"You're older than Axel?" Roxas asked, now feeling confused again. To him, Axel looked a couple of years older than Demyx in appearance. If he had to put his finger on a reasonable age, he would have guessed Demyx was 19, and Axel about 22. "So then....how old are you, Axel?"

"Not including his age when he died, he's been around for 60 years." Demyx replied simply. Now it was Axel's turn to shoot him a glare.

"He was asking me, dipshit." Axel grumbled.

"I knew you wouldn't answer him." Demyx replied, wiggling his eyebrows a bit at Roxas as he grinned. "He's sensitive about his age."

"Okay, I'm done talking about the past." Axel threw up his hands, as if to rid himself of the conversation. "Thank you, Demyx, for being your wonderfully ADD self and getting off topic. You're _supposed_ to be telling him about your little sand issue, not about how old as fuck we are."

"Quit whining like an old geezer," Demyx stuck his tongue out at the irritated Preta, but Axel was ignoring him. "Doesn't seem like Roxas minded it that much to me."

"Absolutely not." Roxas replied with a wide smile. "I love history. It's actually really cool to me. You've both seem so much...like walking history books almost." He had so many questions he wanted to ask Demyx about what he had seen, but he figured for the time being he should stick to his Preta questions before Axel wrung both of their necks. He had to find sometime to come back and talk to Demyx again in the future!

"Thanks?" Demyx sounded uncertian, not sure if he was supposed to take it as a compliment. "Anyway, to get back on topic...um..." He scratched his head a bit, trying to recall where exactly he had left off, but he couldn't quite recall.

"You were telling me about how you were a theif and you were on the Mayflower."

"Oh! Right!" Demyx's expressioned brightened as he hit his forehead lightly with is palm. "Of course I didn't go into detail about it, but it's not important. But after I died, I had a bit more bad karma than good, but not enough to send me to hell. So here I am now, paying off for my bad karma by eating sand."

"That doesn't sound like much of a punishment." Roxas didn't see why making someone eat sand would be so bad, if that's all they had to do to atone for their sins. Demyx seemed to be someone he could actually carry on a decent conversation with. Roxas was willing to show some restraint. Demyx seemed like a friendly guy, similiar to how people back at his hometown were like, and friendliness was something that Roxas was willing to greet with open arms. And he was a freakin' _pilgram_! _I totally take back my rant about needing schizophrenia medication. Jesus, Chuck Norris, Darth Vader, whoever or whatever you are, I fucking love you._

"There's more to a Preta that just being hungry all the time." Demyx continued as he shook his finger at Roxas. "We're always hungry, and even if we do find the food we are looking for, our throats are almost completely swollen shut. So we either choke on what we're eating or we can only eat it in very small amounts."

"I'm having no problem with the latter thanks to Roxy, he does that for me." Axel snorted. Roxas couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the remark.

"So that answers your questions?" Demyx asked, looking back at Roxas, his sea green eyes peering through several strands of loose, dirty blonde hair that seemed to be shaped on the top of his head like a weird mullet-mohawk. It was a pretty odd hairstyle.

"One more," Roxas said, smiling genuinely. "Just what is up with your hairstyle?"

"My hair?" Demyx blinked, and then reached up to try to brush a few strands handing in front of his face back with a grin, but the gesture didn't seem to fix much, because the strands fell back down in front of his face. "Oh, do you like it? Did it back in the 80's. I haven't changed it yet, but I don't think I want to, I like it too much."

"It's pretty....wild."

"I think it's stupid." Axel retorted, turning up his nose. Demyx immediately scowled and shot Axel a glare.

"I wasn't asking you." Demyx shot back bitterly. The sharp remark grabbed Axel's attention, the redhead leaning forward in an intimidating manner with a smug smirk on his face.

"Oh, you're angry? And just what are you going to do about it?" Axel challenged, narrowing his eyes. Demyx started to fidget, averting his gaze from Axel and sliding over to his left a bit to escape the sudden close quarters. Roxas was a bit surprised that Demyx was just letting him bully him like that. He was about to open his mouth to defend the kind Preta when Demyx cleared his throat shakily, directing his attention back to Roxas.

"So...is that all you wanna ask?" Demyx said in a calm tone, but Roxas could see that he was trying to escape the conversation and the glare he was getting from Axel.

"Yeah, more or less." Roxas replied, though he still had many other questions he wanted to ask, he didn't want to make Demyx too uncomfortable. Roxas personally knew how that felt all too well. He made a mental note in his head to stop by the park sometime in the future, hopefully sometime when Axel wasn't around, and talk to Demyx one on one about his curiousity.

"Okay then," Demyx said, rising to his feet and stretching himself out a bit. "Well, it was nice to talk to someone else besides myself for once, even if Axel was being a sourpuss the whole time." The only response he got from Axel was the redhead sticking his tongue out at him. Yep, the annoying Axel was back.

"Well it was nice to talk to someone who isn't drooling all over my head." Roxas chided back.

"You both are such pricks." Axel snorted.

* * *

***Sunday Evening***

"Are you done yet?"

"You asked me that two minutes ago. Does it look like I'm done?" Roxas asked in a slightly irritated tone as he pointed at his backpack at his side, which seemed to have exploded, with papers and books protruding out of it's opening and some laying around it. Roxas was trying very hard to actually get his homework done tonight, and Axel had already had his "dinner," so he was at least feeling a bit charitable and not throwing his homework out the window or tearing it apart.

"But it's so quiet when you're doing your homework." Axel pouted a bit as he tossed a small rubber ball in the air from where he was laying on Roxas' bed, laying longways while Roxas was sitting in his usual spot on the bed in the lefthand corner.

"Well, that sounds like a personal problem." Roxas replied in a sour tone behind his history book. He was trying his best to read the next chapter in his history book, probably the only bit of homework that he actually enjoyed doing. But Axel kept asking him if he was finished over an over again, and Roxas was finding himself reading the same sentence over and over again, unable to concentrate. "If you'll shut up for a little while, I might get done faster."

There was silence, followed by the sound of Axel dropping the ball onto the floor, and Roxas took that as Axel's way of consenting. Breathing a relieved sigh, Roxas looked back down at his textbook and began to read again.

_"Within a year of its establishment, the People's Republic of China had invaded Tibet and intervened in the Korean War, causing years of hostility and estrangement from the United-" _The remaining text was blocked by a black gloved hand that had slammed down on his textbook.

"How about now?" Axel asked with an anxious smile, gripping the book and leaning forward to once again invade the teen's personal space. Roxas scowled and tried to tug the book away, but Axel kept his grip strong. Roxas clenched his teeth, having arrived on his very last nerve. He paused, taking a moment to breathe in deeply through his nose, then slowly breathe out of his mouth in an attempt to calm himself. He knew from past outbursts that yelling at him only entertained the demon, so snarling at him for his interruption wasn't going to phase him in the slightest. Perhaps if he took a more relaxed, calm approach, Axel would stop being such a little brat.

"Axel, stop it and let go of my book." Roxas said calmly, looking Axel in the eye. Axel stared back at him, seeming to be a bit surprised at the calm response. For an instant, Roxas thought that he had finally made it through to Axel that he wasn't going to let him walk all over him anymore. But all hope faded as Roxas saw surprised green eyes cloud over with anger, only for a moment, but he knew it was there. Axel quickly snatched the book away from him, holding it high above his head, still staring Roxas down.

"Now?" Axel's tone was still playful, but the anger in his eyes spoke a completely different meaning. Axel was mad, but Roxas couldn't think of a reason for him to suddenly get angry over him doing his homework. Sure, he wasn't paying attention to Axel, but the world wasn't going to stop turning if he just took twenty minutes -twenty minutes is all he wanted- to do his homework. Now Roxas was mad. Axel was _glaring_ at him, just because he wanted attention like some kind of newborn child, when Roxas has just been taking Axel's crap over and over again.

"Give me back my book!" Roxas snarled as he lunged forward to try to grab his book back, but Axel's arms were too long, and Roxas missed it very easily. When he tried a second time, Axel pushed him away, sending Roxas teetering back for a moment as he jumped to his feet on the bed, the history book still in his hand as he chuckled deviously.

"You're crying over some old textbook?" Axel looked at the book in his hand, then back at the seething blonde at his feet. "You know, schoolwork is so overrated. There is so many other things you could be doing instead of homework, like hanging out with those friends of yours or playing video games with your brother." Roxas' eyes widened when he saw embers crackling in the demon's free hand. As Axel balled his hand into a fist, the crackling grew louder, small flames seeping through in between his fingers. As he let his fingers uncurl from a fist, a small ball of flame flickered in his palm, the flames flickering eagerly. "How about I just make things easier for you?"

"Dont-!" Roxas cried, but he knew it wouldn't stop him. Before he could even finish his sentence, Axel had tossed the book into his flaming palm, and Roxas watched in horror as the textbook burst into flames as though it was laced with gasoline, the 150 dollar text book desinegrating into ashes that fell onto his unmade bed.

"Ah, now that's more like it." Axel mused as the flamed died down in his hand, lips curling into a satisfied grin as he brushed his hands together to rid the rest of the ashes from his hands.

"Get out."

"Come again?" Axel halted mid-brush, hearing Roxas' tone of voice seeping with rage and hate. He looked down and saw Roxas glaring back up at him with blinding rage in his eyes, his every muscle rigid and his teeth bared as he scowled, slowly rising to his feet to stand on the bed along with him.

"I said get out!" Roxas snarled, pushing Axel roughly, making him lose his balance and fall back onto his ass on the bed, the demon looking up at him with wide eyes. Roxas was pissed. Though he was much shorter than Axel, he wanted the demon to feel like he was two feet tall. He felt his body start to shake as he glare daggars at the male before him. Any trace of anger in Axel's eyes had faded away completely, being replaced with pure and utter shock.

"Hey, calm down now, it's not that big of a-"

"Not that big of a deal? That book costed me over $150! I don't exactly have huge amounts cash coming out of my ass to replace it, either!" He growled, reaching up to grab fistfuls of his own hair as he seethed, unable to take any of this anymore. "I am so sick of you! At first I thought you would just go away if I put up with you for a few days, but if this is the kind of bullshit I'm going to have to go through, I swear if you don't leave me alone, I'll find someone that can _make_ you go away."

"Don't tell me you are thinking about resorting to that religious hocus pocus." Axel cackled, very amused with the blonde's threat. "I'll call your bluff. You really believe all that crap you see on television? I already told you what it was going to take to get me to leave. Contrary to what you may think, I can't leave without it, even if I wanted to."

"No one is stopping you from leaving, so I don't see what the problem is."

"Oh, but it's not 'no one'," Axel brought one of his hands to his abdomen and patted his stomach, biting his tongue as it started to growl something fierce. After the breif interruption, he continued. "It's my very empty stomach. I have to act on it's will, whether I want to or not. It's not my choice, Roxas."

"From what I've been told, you're like this because you screwed up in your past life. I don't know what or why it is you eat hair, but I find it very hard to believe that you can't act on your own free will to get up and get out of my room and never come back."

"You know, you're really starting to get on my nerves." Axel grumbled, brows knitted together as he moved off of the bed, no longer wanting to have to look up at Roxas and wound his pride as he moved down to stand on the floor.

"I can say the same exact thing for you." Roxas scowled as he jumped down off of his bed as well, not ready to end this arguement just yet because he wanted to give Axel a piece of his mind.

"I'm not even asking you for much. I just want your hair." Axel frowned as he ran his fingers through his hair, a habit that he had developed a long time ago. "I'm not asking for your soul or something stupid like that. Is it really that hard just to shave your head? It'll grow back, like, for serious." His last sentence was spoken in an overly embellished Californian surfer accent, and was dripping with sarcasm.

"Don't fuck with me," Roxas growled as he balled his hands into fists, ready to vent his frustrations in a more violent manner, because talking wasn't getting anything accomplished at all. "I don't owe you anything. The world isn't going to fall apart if I don't give you my hair, and that's a good enough reason as any for me to not give two shits about what you want."

"Well aren't you just a ray of _fucking_ sunshine with your colorful vocabulary," Axel said, not missing a beat. "Two can play at that game. You bitch about coming from a nice country town that is full of friendly people who like to prance in the cornfields and shit rainbows of love and other frilly things, when you are probably the most foul tempered kid I've ever seen."

"I'm only so foul because you continuously piss me off! Don't try to turn this on me, you're the one "repenting for your sins" and whatnot," Roxas used quotations with his fingers as he spoke. "and it seems to me you're doing a pretty crappy job. Whatever it is you did to end up like that, you probably deserve it and I have absolutely no sympathy for you."

The room became silent. What Roxas had said seemed to strike a chord. Axel stared down at Roxas, appaled. Roxas was silently swelling with pride, feeling quite accomplished with himself for outwitting the demon and getting him to be quiet, but the feeling didn't last long as he watched Axel visibly cringe. It wasn't a dramatic cringe in fear, it was actually a very subdal cringe, the demon taking a small step backwards away from him, but it nonetheless caught his attention. He recalled earlier in the day when Demyx had said something bitter to him, and Axel hardly batted an eyelid. To see Axel do something like that now with him gave him the impression that he had said the wrong thing at the very worst time possible. Before he could say anything, Axel frowned and turned his back to him and started to approach the door. _I guess he's pissed at me, _Roxas figured.

But when Axel stopped and turned to look at Roxas, the teen was taken aback by the look on the demon's face. Eyes that were once warm with humor and mischeif were now icy cold, his familiar teasing grin replaced with a thin, expressionless line. The annoying, persistent demon that he knew was nowhere to be found, but instead was replaced with a more stoic, mature, and wise persona. It was in this crystalizing moment that Roxas realized just how ghastly Axel really was in appearance. His cheeks were sunken in, not very prominent, but enough to give off the impression that he was malnourished. Though his arms were long, they were very small and thin, seeming to be lacking any sort of meat or muscle at all. On that note, it came to his attention that there didn't seem to be a single trace of fat on Axel at all, even around his waistline that was much to small to be that of a healthy man's waist. It was so small that his hips were jutting out of his sides, giving him a figure much more akin to a woman than a man. As the reality of Axel's appearance set in, Roxas couldn't stand to look at him anymore, the sight of such a famine-strickened person making his stomach quite unsettled. He was still very angry with Axel, but he couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for the demon. It was the same sort of pity one felt when looking at pictures of starving children in developing countries, or seeing a stray dog that was nothing but skin and bones. Axel was far from just skin and bones, but he just looked...unhealthy. Perhaps it was because he was afflicted with neverending starvation? Roxas wondered if it was much more painful than Axel led on.

"Let me tell you something, Roxas." Axel spoke, his tone strangely calm, much different than the grating tone of voice that Roxas was familiar with. It made him uncomfortable. "You may think that you have it all figured out, but I'm going to be the first to tell you that what you may think you know about me or others like me only scratches the surface of the truth. But I would hate to yank you off that pretty little high horse of yours, and if you are going to continue being so closed-minded, then nothing is going to change. You'll be stuck with me tormenting you for the rest of your mortal life and live it like a shut in. You can yell at me to leave you alone all you want, but I'm a slave to my hunger, and it will keep me from leaving you until I give it what it wants."

Roxas' mind was going a mile a minute, trying to think of something to say in response to Axel's calm but icy statement. But he couldn't seem to find the right words, or maybe he was just too confused with how he felt at the current time, his emotions going off in completely different directions at the same time. He felt angry, sad, guilty, confused...just simply at a loss for words at the moment. Axel didn't seem to be expecting a response, because he turned his attention back to the door and took several steps towards it, looking over his shoulder one last time to make Roxas once again freeze at the emotionless look in Axel's eyes.

"I'll give you a little time to think about what I've said. Note that I said 'a little time,' because I no longer have the patience to wait for you to take out that tampon that's shoved so deeply in your ass and grow some balls to make the right decision on your own time. The only things you are accomplishing by being so uptight is making my process of undoing my bad karma much longer and driving yourself insane." With that, Axel opened the door and quietly walked out, closing the door behind him just as quietly without another word.

He would be back. Roxas knew he would be back. But Roxas wasn't sure of what the next encounter was going to be like. He was pretty sure that if he said no again, that this new side to Axel would not hesistate to rip it out of his hair without remorse.

* * *

_**(*): For those unfamiliar with the 1999 movie "The Sixth Sense," Haley Joel Osment was a little boy that could see dead people. Hence the famous movie line, "I see dead people." Pretty redundant. **_

_**Whoa, curveball much?**_

_**Well, you'll like said curveball, because I've had many inquiring minds ask me about Axel's past. Guess what you get to learn about next chappie? :D ****You're welcome. ;3**_

_**Please review! New and old alike! They help me update faster! To my dedicated readers, I'd like to see what you think about the changes. Did it make things a bit easier or smoother for you? Love it or hate it? Where's teh goddamn lemon you keep talking about? Patience, my friends, patience. Lemons like RPA and it's sequel don't just become hemmoraging nosebleeding awesome overnight...**_


	5. Memories Better Forgotten

**A/N: UGH! You all have no idea what trouble I had to go through to get this chapter done...long story short, my laptop was struck by lightning, and it wont work unless I put 60 pounds worth of school textbooks on top of the right side...I've had to rewrite this chapter three times... hope you guys are thankful. xp **

****Double update is due to computer error when I tried uploading it the first time. Sorry about that!**

**Please review... =] **

* * *

***Week 1, Day 12, Monday***

Gloved fingertips dragged idily along the cream colored wall of one of the many hallways in Twilight High as an irritated Preta demon walked along the wall, his feet not having any set destination in mind. There was always the option to wander into one of the classrooms one by one until he found Roxas, but Axel was not in the spirit to pester Roxas for the time being. He was still quite frustrated from the events of the previous evening, wanting to take a small break from the task at hand to give himself time to think things over, and come up with another plan of action.

For Axel, something like this was an 'in and out' deal, swooping in to grab what he wanted and leave without a second thought. But it was kind of difficult for him to use his normal tactics to feed his hunger when the prey in question was being completely and utterly unreasonable and selfish. After all, he hated annoying people in general; acting like one was much more tiring. It sometimes tested his mental strength. He actually had to think of ways to act like an idiot, it didn't come to him so easily as it did someone like Demyx, but Demyx was just retarded in general. With about 60 years of this sort of work under his belt, he had found playing the "pestering stalker" card to reap the fastest results. Being a Preta wasn't a cakewalk in the park, but it sure beats Hell, Axel figured.

_Cake does sound like a nice thing right now, doesn't it, _he thought, heaving a sigh as his stomach snarled at him in protest. It tended to do that when he thought about earthly edibile spoils, kind of like a jealous girlfriend when they catch their significant other eyeing a hot girl across the room. He found it rather odd that he actually attempted to put the thought into imagery in his head. It just went to show how desperately hungry he was.

_"__Whatever it is you did to end up like that, you probably deserve it and I have absolutely no sympathy for you."_

At first, he was more bothered with the fact that the angel food cake in his head was actually talking to him then what it was saying. But the rather embarrasing thought was tossed aside as the words began to sank in, and he recalled that those words had came right out of Roxas' mouth the night before. He came to a halt, ceasing his pointless walk and moved to lean back against the wall as he folded his arms at his chest, nostrils flared slightly as he breathed out through his nose at the thought. He looked down at his arms, taking notice of how small they were, and for a moment, it depressed him somewhat.

_It's not that bad, they've been much smaller than this and you know that_, Axel told himself as he drew his eyes to a close. He knew it all too well. Even after 60 years had passed, he was still haunted by the images that had been branded into his memory from so long ago. Roxas' words repeated in his head over and over again, and Axel couldn't help but feel a sickening amused grin perk in the corner of his lips. He couldn't count how many times he had been told something similar all of his human life, spitted from the mouths of friends, neighbors, strangers, and the lowest scum the world has ever conceived. He wasn't phased so much that Roxas didn't have any sympathy for him, he was used to it. But it was the fact that he looked so much like _them_. Blonde hair, blue eyes, fair skin....the perfect Aryan. Hell, all he needed was a swastika on his arm and he'd fit right into the picture.

* * *

_"Auf ihren Füßen!" (On your feet!)_

_Moans and cries of resistance met Axel's ears as the weight of other people on top of him, below him, all around him that was established earlier in the train ride from the German holding camp began to shift uncomfortably, making him cough and gasp as he tried to push himself up to catch his breath. A loud rumbling noise came from the front of the carrier, and Axel had to sheild his eyes from the bright light from the ouside that poured in from the carrier's entrance. With him being with the few stragglers in the back of the carrier, he had to get up to his feet and walk towards the entrance instead of being dragged out by impatient Nazi officers awaiting outside._

_He came to the opening, his eyes still not adjusted to the brightness of the outside, but before he could react he felt himself being thrown off of the carrier and onto the muddy ground below._

_"Up! Get up!" An officer barked in English with a heavy accent as Axel felt the officer kick him in the side to try to get him to rise. He hissed in pain as the foot made contact and he quickly rose to his feet, spitting out the mud that he tasted on his tongue and wiped his mouth on his hand before shooting the officer a nasty glare. Before either either party could react to the breif encounter, Axel was swept away by another group of people from the next carrier and was pushed into the large mass of people that was being herded like cattle towards the concentration camp._

* * *

Axel immediately shook away the memory before it could continue. Roxas was not a Nazi, nor was he German at all. The last thing he wanted to do was to think about it all again. He'd been able to keep the memories at bay by staying busy all these years, but now seeing as he wasn't doing very much at the moment, his mind was wandering and it was a big no-no.

He started thinking about Roxas again. He knew the teen was angry with him because of the trouble he had been causing in order to get him to fork over his hair. It was drawing unwanted attention from his peers. Axel wasn't oblivious to the giggles and whispers that Roxas' fellow calssmates gave him because of it. He knew they didn't think very much of him due to his backround, but it never really bothered Axel in the beginning. After all, he was only planning on staying a couple of days; what was the point of getting himself involved in Roxas' social affairs?

Out of nowhere, guilt hit Axel like a slap in the face. As he thought back, he was actually starting to feel sorry for the poor blonde. It could have been due to his very tender flashback, or just because he was spending alot of time with Roxas, but it never occured to him that he could feel some form of remorse for his prey. Axel was spending more time with Roxas than he had anyone else in all of his 60 years living as a Preta, so he was starting to take notice of things. He could see he hurt in Roxas' eyes when he looked at people, though he always managed to put up a smile for others. Unless Axel was around, but other than that, Roxas tried to look happier than he really was. He was happy, but not completely. The more Axel thought about it, the more it became clear to him that they shared something in common. Axel was all too familiar with ridicule, with being taunted for such a trivial thing, and he could see how though in a much lighter degree, Roxas was feeling the same way he was when he was alive.

_Shit_... Axel pushed himself from off of the wall and scratched the back of his head with a frown. I_'m such a bloody hypocrite. I've always said I'd never be the bully. But my stupid hunger has turned me into one. I've been making myself out to be the victim this whole time when I'm the one bullying people into giving me what I want. _He shook his head and sighed. _Shows how much I've learned and changed in 60 years, huh?_

He started walking again, but this time he knew where he was going. He had to fix this mess he had made and start all over from the beginning and find some way to get himself in to Roxas' good graces, and maybe find some closure for all of the damage he had created in the past and present due to his selfish obsession and atone for the guilt he felt. Axel was not only guilty because of what he had done to Roxas, but deep inside his heart he was still trying to get over the guilt he felt for ruining another life so many years ago on a dry September evening._ Come to think of it.._. Axel thought to himself again as he stalked the hallways in search of Roxas' locker. _Roxas does look alot like him, doesn't he...?_

* * *

"Yo! Roxas, wait up!"

Roxas stopped in the hallway when he heard the sound of Hayner's voice calling for him, turning to see the camo-clad teen weaving his way through the crowd of bustling people to meet him.

"Hey, where's the fire?" Roxas chuckled as he started walking again alongside Hayner, who seemed a bit out of breath from having to come down a flight of stairs and weave past what seemed like hundreds of people standing around in the hallways.

"No fire...haha," Hayner laughed a little as he adjusted the bag slung over his shoulder. "Just haven't seen you all day." His tone became a bit apologetic. "Hey, sorry about not showing up yesterday. Parents were being pricks and wouldn't let me go out. Somethin' about not getting my homework done or whatever, you know."

"Yeah," Roxas replied with a nod, not completely sure if Hayner was being sincere or not, but he didn't want to question it. He didn't look like he was lying, anyway. "It's no big deal, I kinda got caught up in a cool conversation with a stranger, so it's not like I was completely alone all day."

"Talking to strangers? Remember where that landed you last time?" Hayner punched Roxas in the shoulder playfully. "Don't tell me you have another imaginary friend!"

"Will you quit it with the 'imaginary friend' thing?" Roxas gave the other teen a playful shove in response. "We aren't in kindergarden, Hayner. We're juniors in high school."

"It's normal for that in kindergarden, Roxas. When you're in high school, it's called schizophrenia. Maybe me and Olette and everyone else should get you admitted to Central State."

"I'm just _shaking_ with excitement."

"Hell, I'd go if they'd take me. Think about it; sponge covered rooms to bounce yourself off of, free food, hot nurses, and of course," Hayner enthusiastically wrapped his arms around himself. "You get one of those nice jackets that make you hug yourself all day long. Why wouldn't you want to hug yourself?"

"Okay, maybe _you're_ the one who needs phsyciatric help if you're so excited to go to a mental institution."

"It would sure as hell beat Chemistry class. It's already a fucking mad house."

"Good point."

As their conversation came to it's end, Roxas found that the two of them had arrived at their lockers, and Hayner directed his attention to his locker that was a few spaces down from where Roxas' was. Roxas heaved a sigh as he looked at his locker. His next period was F period American History, and thanks to Axel, all that was left of his textbook was ashes scattered on the hardwood floor of his bedroom. Despite this fact, Roxas opened up his locker anyway. He knew it wasn't there, but it was like when one would open up the refrigerator door to stare aimlessly inside for no particular reason. Maybe by some streatch, if he stared inside long enough, his book would materialize out of nowhere. He honestly wasn't doubting it's possibility, due to how many bizzare things had been happening to him lately.

When he peered inside his locker, he was shocked at what he saw. Sitting on top of all of his other books in his locker was a brand new American History textbook. He stared at it for a few moments, trying to think of when he could have picked up a second book by mistake. As his fingers reached out to take the book, he almost didn't notice a small piece of paper that fell out of the book's cover and landed at his feet. Curious, he bent down to pick up the piece of paper to find that it was actually a note.

**Roxas,**

I feel kind of bad for all of the trouble I have caused for you lately. I felt like I should try to make it up to you somehow, so I figured I could start by getting you a new textbook. You're gonna need it. Don't ask how; just accept it with an open mind.

**-Axel**

Roxas blinked as he looked over the note once, twice, and then three times. Axel was _apologizing_? This was definately not the Axel that he had come to know, not at all. For the almost two weeks that he had known him, Axel had never once apologized for anything he ever did. Now he was doing it out of the blue. Was Axel being sincere, or was he just jerking Roxas around again as usual?

_He did say he couldn't leave until he had my hair, _Roxas thought as he crumbled up the note in his hand and shoved it into his pocket. _I guess I'll find out later tonight if this is real or of this is some sort of false security._

"Hey, Roxas?"

"Hm?" Roxas looked to his right to see Hayner fumbling through several books in his locker.

"Have you seen my history book?"

* * *

***Monday Evening***

Roxas sat on his bed, fiddling with a pencil in between his fingers as he stared down at homework in front of him blankly. He couldn't concentrate on his homework at all, despite any attempt he made to try to get it done. Flicking the pencil around in his hand, he pushed his English book aside and grabbed Axel's note that was sitting beneath it, reading over it again like he had done countless times within the last few hours. He was trying to see if there was any sign of dishonesty in the lines, trying to decypher whether or not Axel was being completely honest with his apology. Yet judging by how he had given Roxas such a dirty look and spoken to him so tersely made him think that he had no idea who the real Axel was, and that thought made him anxious.

He glanced around the room again to see if Axel was hiding somewhere in the shadows, but he was nowhere to be found. Roxas chewed on his lip a little as he read the note yet again. For the first time since they had met, Roxas wanted Axel to show up. It was bugging him to no end whether or not Axel's apology was real or not, and he was wondering what was taking Axel so long in showing himself again. Maybe he really did upset him yesterday?

Just as he was about to go over what he had said in his head, Roxas heard a tapping noise at his window. He looked up to see a familiar looking redhead crouched down in front of it, tapping on the glass with an index finger. As their gazes met, there was a slight pause, neither one willing to move or say anything at first. The silence didn't last too long, because Axel decided to break the ice by pressing his face up against the glass and puffing out his cheeks. Roxas' brow perked as he watched Axel before a soft chuckle escaped his lips almost like a reflex. He couldn't really help it, the face Axel was making was actually funny looking.

Axel felt a grin perk in the corner of his lip when he saw Roxas smile from chuckling. He watched as Roxas scooted over the side of the bed and rise to his feet and come over to the window.

"Hey there." Axel greeted him with a wave of his fingers as Roxas opened up the window.

"What's with the entrance?" Roxas asked as he pushed up the window wider so Axel could come in. "You came in my room last time without needing to be let in."

"Eh," Axel shrugged his shoulders as he slid through the window and came to stand inside Roxas' room. "I was going for a 'cheesy 80's teen movie' sort of thing." Roxas rolled his eyes a bit, but Axel only gave him a grin. In truth, Axel thought that just barging in without knowing how Roxas had reacted to his note would have been pretty risky, so he opted to see if Roxas was willing to hear him out at all. And judging how he was chuckling earlier, it seemed like he was.

"Very corny."

"Corny, but effective. You let me in, didn't you?"

"I'm just glad you didn't try to serenade me, too."

"Oh, right, I knew I was forgetting something. Let me start over." Axel said in an amused tone as he sat back on the window to go back outside, but a tug on his coat kept him from going any further.

"Please, don't. Your singing is terrible." Roxas winced a bit as he grinned slightly, feeling the air of tension between them starting to slip away somewhat.

"Now that's not very nice."

"Says the one that ripped my head off with his eyes last night."

Axel's grin faded at Roxas statement, remembering why exactly they were in this position in the first place. He sighed and rised to his feet, looking down at the teen.

"Well...I'm guessing you got my note?" Axel asked, resorting to his anxious habit of running his fingers through his hair.

"Yeah...Thanks for that, by the way..." Roxas replied softly, his amused tone leaving as well as he averted his gaze from the Preta.

"You're welcome." Axel said. "Like I said...I feel bad for all the crap I've done lately. I can tell I've been a bit of a pain in the ass-"

"A bit of a pain?" Roxas' brows furrowed.

"...Okay, a huge pain in the ass." Axel corrected himself, waving his hand as to dismiss the slight disagreement entirely. "Anyway, I still am stuck here with you until you cut all of your hair for me, but I figured I could make the ordeal a bit more bearable for the both of us if I quit the whole "annoying" bit."

"You mean that's not how you really act?" Roxas asked, slightly surprised. Axel snorted.

"You saw how I handled Demyx yesterday. I can't stand annoying people. It's twice as hard to act like one."

"So...if that's not how you really act, then why do you do it?"

"It's the fastest way to get results." Axel shrugged, turning a bit to close the window, the room starting to get a bit too chilly. "I've tried alot of different ways, but being a prick is the best way to get my food faster."

"I guess that makes sense..." Roxas mumbled to himself as he crossed his arms at his chest.

"But I want to put that past us, seeing as odd behavior is the last thing you need right now."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not stupid, Roxas." Axel rolled his eyes as he clicked the window shut. "I know about the ridicule you get. Your main beef with me is that I make you look stupid in front of others. Believe it or not, I know how you feel."

"Really? How so?" Roxas doubted that Axel had any idea of what his situation was like. Axel peered over his shoulder at the blonde.

"I don't want to get into details..." Axel said as he turned to face Roxas again, leaning back against the closed window. "But I know what it's like to be ridiculed for something stupid. I never really intended to be such a jerk, so I apologize. But," Axel's tone became more serious as he continued. "Just because I'm going to lighten up on my little act doesn't mean I'm going to stop pestering you until give me your hair. That's what I'm here for, and I'm not leaving until I have it. So no more whining about me leaving until you do so." Axel extended a hand towards Roxas. "So do we have a truce? Friends?"

"Friends?" Roxas parroted. Was Axel asking to be his friend? "It's kind of early to be asking that sort of thing, don't you think?"

"Maybe." Axel replied, and Roxas almost missed the slightly dissapointed tone in the demon's voice as he lowered his hand back at his side. "Just throwing the idea out there."

"You're alone alot, aren't you?" Roxas asked softly, feeling the same pity he had felt for the demon the night before returning. By the way Axel's face lit up a bit at Roxas' question, he assumed he had guessed correctly. It had been a bit obvious to Roxas, especially how Axel acted like an attention whore when he was around his friends, but Axel's attempt just made it clear that the redhead had a pretty lonely 60 year existence. Axel frowned a bit before answering with a soft sigh.

"Well, I guess." Axel brushed his hair with his fingertips.

"Fine."

"Fine what?"

"Fine as in 'Fine, I'll be your friend.'"

"Really?" Axel's eyes widened in surprise. Roxas smiled.

"Yeah, I don't really see why not. Just as long as you don't annoy the shit out of me and burn up my textbooks again."

"I _suppose _that could be arranged." Axel rolled his head to the side a bit with a sly smile. "Can't promise anything though." Roxas shook his head as he went over towards his closet, catching Axel's interest. "Where you going?"

"To get you a sleeping bag." Roxas replied simply as he opened up his closet and pulled out a blue sleeping bag. "I'm guessing your gonna be staying for a while, so you're gonna need this. That's if....Pretas sleep or not." Roxas' brows mashed together as he looked up at Axel. "Do Pretas sleep?"

"Yeah, but I don't need it as much as you do." Axel replied with a shrug. "My stomach keeps me awake a majority of the time."

"Well you can use this if you need to-" Roxas was cut off by a wooshing sound he heard over his shoulder. He blinked and looked up to see Axel was gone. He was about to call out for the Preta until he saw that the Preta had attacked his bed and was sprawled out over it's entire surface with his head buried into a mass of pillows.

"But I like your bed!" Axel whined as he clinged to the pillows.

"Tough shit," Roxas said in a stern tone as he shook the sleeping bag in his hand. "I sleep in my own bed."

"But the other day you said I could sleep in it whenever I wanted."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did."

"No, I didn't."

"Uh, yeah, you did."

"Uh, no, I didn't."

"C'monnnn," Axel huffed. "Just tonight? I haven't slept in a bed in decades."

"Again, tough shit, I wanna sleep in my own bed by myself. If Sora fell asleep in his bean bag instead of his bed, go sleep in his bed."

"You are so difficult." Axel pouted as he rose from the bed, snatching two of the pillows off of the bed as he got back up.

"No, put those back, I like my pillows." Roxas said, tossing the sleeping bag over towards the window.

"I'm taking these as my consolation prize. Either you let me sleep in the bed or I have two of the hundreds of pillows you already have on it."

Roxas slapped his palm to his forehead. It looked like Axel was going to be difficult in his own, not as annoying way, but still being unreasonable. Roxas felt like he could deal with it. After all, it's just two pillows, right? Even though the two he happened to pick were his favorites...but he'd bite his tongue for now.

Axel grinned as he saw that he had won the arguement, leaning down to drag the sleeping bag out so he could lay down on top of it, setting down the two pillows and laying back to look up at the ceiling. Getting Roxas' hair was going to take longer than he originally planned, but he felt that he didn't mind waiting just a little longer and sticking around a while. Besides...Roxas had said they could be friends. Axel had never had a friend before... at least, a real one. It was going to be a learning experience for the both of them.

* * *

**I can't completely garuntee when the next update will be due to my laptop constantly attempting suicide... I will be getting a new one a month from now, but at least one or two updates will be before then. (Failed German translation, I know,. I blame google. haha.)**

**Well, you know the basics of Axel's past, sort of....maybe Roxas can bitch the rest of the story out of him? *wink* I don't know about you, but I'm liking my rewrite. x3 thanks to all who gave me feedback! Please reviewwwww~ **


	6. Carpet Muncher

_**A/N: Surprise! I told you I'd squeeze in an update or two soon before I got my new laptop. I was able to get my old one temporarily fixed, but note I said "temporary." The tech guy looked at me and was like "This thing is in complete shambles." e.e It's been falling apart for a while....**_

**_:( If you've faved or alerted this story, I'd greatly appreciate if you'd leave a review, however small it may be. Reviews give me motivation to update faster. Today's update wouldn't have come so quickly, but I have been itching for fluff that it's slowly killing me on the inside. That, and I have a new story idea in the works. Stay tuned for that. :)_**

* * *

_Through glassy, hooded eyes, he could see something above him through the drape of snow and ice covering his long eyelashes. It was tiny, very small, almost like an insect, carrying something along with it as it drifted downwards to where he lay on the frozen, barren ground. As it drew closer, he could make out the vessel's familiar appearance; it took the form of a female fairy, with short brown hair and a blue hair clip that looked like a bird's wings. Her garb was bright and ornate, like all other inhabitants of Heaven. In her small hands she carried a bubble, a small, transparent bubble that seemed almost too fragile to still be intact in such violent weather. But the vessel was not phased by the environment around itself, for she came from a higher plane than this one, and wicked inflictions did not affect her in the slightest. Happiness swelled in his chest at the familiar sight, and though he couldn't greet the vessel coming towards him, he knew the vessel had an understanding of how grateful he was for the treacherous journey that she had been taking for him since he arrived in this frozen Hell. All thoughts took pause as he anxiously awaited the prayer that he was about to receive._

"_Hello, sir." The vessel, who called herself Yuna, greeted him in a solemn tone as she drew closer to his form and came to settle beside his face, struggling to keep the bubble from slipping from her small hands as she tried pressed it up against his ear. He couldn't give her a reply, and Yuna knew that very well. "Another prayer for you today. I would have been sooner, but the journey here is both time and energy consuming."_

_He wished that he could apologize to her, for going through so much trouble. It was her job, like many other vessels, to deliver prayers. Yet, prayers were scarcely ever sent to someone residing in Hell, and the journey from Heaven to Hell was a very long one. He assumed the vessel that was assigned to him was very sturdy; most all of the vessels are made of flimsy paper, sketched by the creative hand of the Angel of Prayers that was in charge of prayer distribution from humans to spiritual beings. At least, that is what Yuna had told him during her brief exchanges with him. _

"_This one is pretty heavy, so it must be very long." She continued talking as she pushed her back into the bubble to keep it from slipping from her grasp and shattering on the ground below. Prying the hair clip out of her hair, she turned her head to look at the bubble to ensure its safety. "You must be very well liked on the mortal plane...I find it odd…you aren't supposed to be associated with mortals in the first place." _

'_You have no idea,' he thought to himself as he brought his eyes to a close, feeling the skin beneath his eyebrows crack under the moment of the very slight gesture. There was pain, but he quickly put it on the backburner as he heard Yuna prick the side of the bubble with her hairpin, making the bubble pop. His ears were suddenly flooded with the solemn and heartfelt whispers that had rolled off of the lips of a special friend. The words were like a mental electric blanket that brought him peace, even if they only lasted for a little while. He was too consumed in clinging to every single word uttered in the prayer that he didn't notice that Yuna had departed. It didn't matter if he didn't hear her farewell, or that he was left on his own to suffer this terrible judgment again. All that mattered was the words from the prayer; The words that gave him the smallest glimmer of hope and made being here just a bit more bearable._

* * *

***Week 2, Day 15, Thursday***

"Hey, guess what I heard today?" Hayner grinned impishly as he took a drink of his carton of orange juice as he addressed his friends that sat around him under the shade of the oak tree that hey had chosen earlier in the year as their 'usual spot' at lunch time, as long as the weather permitted.

"That Hitler was a carpet muncher?" Roxas asked as he looked up from his English textbook that was sitting in his lap, taking a break from his cram session for the test coming up next period. Hayner and Kairi's faces twisted in confusion as they looked at Roxas dumbly.

"Huh?" Hayner's brows scrunched together. "What the…carpet muncher? The fuck, Roxas?"

"Relax, Hayner," Pence chimed in with a small grin as he gave Roxas a playful elbow in the side. "I think he's talking about the documentary that the American History classes are watching today."

"Yeah," Roxas replied, now feeling stupid for not completely paying attention to the discussion at hand. Lately, he had been staying up a little later than he normally did either talking to Axel or trying to do homework after said long discussions with Axel, and he had totally forgotten to study for the test. "It was about Hitler. It talked about all kinds of things a lot of people didn't know about him, like how he would chew on strips of carpet when he was stressed out and how there was a chance he had Parkinson's disease and stuff like that."

"Only you would pay attention to that sort of thing," Hayner preformed an exaggerated yawn. "Thanks for the heads up, by the way, now I know I get nap time next period."

"Hey," Pence's grin turned into a small frown. "I thought it was kind of cool, too."

"That's because you both are such dweebs."

"Says the one with a PokeWalker on his belt loop." Kairi chimed in with a snicker. Hayner scowled as Roxas, Pence, and Olette joined in on the snickering, reaching down to his belt buckle that the round pedometer-like mechanism hung in his belt loop and stuffed it quickly into his pocket.

"What? I like to play the games when I'm bored! Big deal."

"Sure." Roxas rolled his eyes.

"_My Pokemon bring all the boys to the yard, and they're like, you wanna trade cards? Damn right, I wanna trade cards, all except for my Charizard_~" Pence teased in a sing song voice as he batted his eyelashes at the frustrated blonde in front of him. This display caused everyone except Hayner to burst out into a laughing fit. Hayner growled menacingly and lunged outward at the taunting brunette, pushing him back onto the ground with a forceful shove. Yet the action went completely unnoticed, if anything, it made it even funnier. Roxas was starting to shake from laughing so hard, grasping his sides that were aching from laughing. This laughing fit went on for a little while longer until the four were able to slowly compose themselves, red faced and out of breath as they calmed down, Hayner still sitting in his spot with his arms crossed at his chest and a scowl still planted on his lips.

"If you guys are finished laughing your asses off, I'll say what I was planning on saying until Roxas got us off track." Hayner said in a biting tone.

"That was a good one, Pence." Roxas chuckled as he took in one last deep breath to calm his heaving chest.

"Thanks." He replied with a smile and a thumbs up.

"Are you two finished flirting so I can talk or what?" Hayner huffed as he narrowed his eyes at the two other males of the group.

"Oooh, sounds like someone is jealous." Kairi snickered again, the statement even drawing a chuckle from Olette.

"Shut up, Kairi." He stuck his open palm in the female's direction, throwing her a glare before continuing after another huff. "I'm _trying_ to say that I heard there's a new girl coming next week."

"A new girl?" Olette spoke softly as she froze mid bite on a Cheeto.

"Yeah, Mr. Ienzo was talking about her last period." Hayner said with a shrug. "Some kind of foreign exchange student…I forgot what he said her name was, but it sounded French or something."

"Well that'll be nice." Kairi said with a small smile as she casted her blue eyes towards the studious Roxas. "It looks like you won't be the new kid anymore, Roxas."

"Yipee?" Roxas' brow perked, his exclamation sounding like more of a question then a cry for joy. _A new girl, huh? I guess Kairi's right, I won't be the 'new kid' anymore. Maybe then people will start directing their attention at her instead of me. _Roxas then felt a grin perk in the corner of his lip. The arrival of a new student, a foreign one at that, was sure to take some of the peer pressure off of him. It sounded like a nice little breather that he desperately needed.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of the 'end of lunch' bell coming from the school's clock tower. The group groaned, especially Roxas, who was totally not looking forward to the English test next period, as they rose to their feet and made their way back towards the school.

"Oh," Roxas said as he recalled a thought. "Are we still up for ice cream today, you guys?" He was expecting a quick 'yeah, of course, stupid' from one of his four friends, but he was met with an uneasy silence. Roxas' stomach twisted into knots. This wasn't a good sign.

"Er…actually," Kairi spoke in an unsure tone as she looked over her shoulder to look at Roxas as she dumped her brown paper bag into the trash. "My grandparents are closing up shop early today; they have to go out of town. I don't think we'll be able to get ice cream today…sorry."

"Oh…" Roxas tried not to appear downcast, giving Kairi a shrug as he threw away his brown bag as well and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "That's cool, I guess." Usually, Kairi gave them a heads up a day ahead of time if the pharmacy was going to be closed. And from the looks of it, it looked like Kairi really had no intention of telling him about it in the first place until he asked about it. Maybe Kairi was still upset about the whole "Axel's tampon flinging spree" last week. Or maybe he was just over thinking it. He tried not to let it bother him too much as he parted from his friends and made his way towards his English class, feeling a weight being put upon his shoulders.

* * *

***Thursday Evening***

As he came up to his driveway, Roxas was still troubled with the events that had taken place at lunch time. He thought about it over and over in his head through the day, wondering who he could talk to about it. He didn't want to ask Hayner or Pence because he didn't know if they were in on it or not. Sora wasn't going to be home after school, and he never talked to his parents about his problems. It was just...stupid. It was when he started to walk up his front steps that he thought about talking to Axel about it. The Preta seemed to be a good listener when they had talked together in the past, so maybe Axel wouldn't mind listening to him vent a little. It would have been a good idea if he actually knew where Axel was.

He paid no mind to much of anything as he entered his home, wanting to just go to his room and be lazy for the hell of it. He closed the door behind him and quickly went up the stairs, hearing a heavenly choir sing in his head as he opened the door to his bedroom. He threw his bookbag into the corner almost mechanically and dived onto his bed, letting out a content sigh as he rolled over onto his back.

"Ugh," Roxas groaned to himself as he brought his hands to his face to cover his eyes as he massages his temples with his thumbs. "Today officially sucked."

"Well that doesn't sound good." Roxas quickly brought his hands away from his face, slightly startled as he looked up from where he was on his bed to see Axel standing at the window, hunched over with his elbows propped up on the window sill as he stared at the outside. "Hey, by the way." Axel greeted him almost absent mindedly, not bothering to turn his head to look at the blonde on his bed.

"When did you get here?" Roxas asked, not having noticed the demon's arrival at all since he came home.

"I've been here a while, I was here when you just walked in." Axel shrugged, still staring out the window. "Just didn't say anything."

"On that note, where have you been all day?" Roxas noticed how Axel wasn't around all that much today, only seeing his spiky red head pop up every once in a while before wandering off elsewhere. Ever since the two had established a truce, Axel was not longer breathing over his shoulder every waking moment of the day, but instead he came and went as he pleased, his destination away from Roxas unclear. He was never gone for too long, though.

"Just places." Axel shrugged once more, still keeping his attention outside of the window. Roxas' brows furrowed in slight annoyance at the Preta's aloofness.

"And what is just so utterly fascinating outside that you don't have the decency to look at me when I'm talking to you?" Roxas asked in a slightly irritated tone. He wasn't upset with Axel's rudeness, but he was still upset about what had happened at lunch time earlier in the day. He was almost certain that Kairi and his friends were trying to avoid him, and he had been hoping that he would be able to vent to Axel about it when he got home. From the looks of it, Axel had no interest in Roxas' daily stresses at all.

"Your mom."

"Really, Axel? 'Your mom' jokes? Not the best time for that right now."

"No, I'm serious. I'm watching your mom." Axel finally turned his head to look at Roxas, his piercing green eyes looking at him questioningly. "Does she usually attack shrubbery like this?"

"Huh?" Roxas' curiosity peaked at Axel's odd question, pushing himself up off the bed and approached the window beside the redhead. Axel scooted over to allow Roxas to come up beside him.

"Look." Axel pointed, pressing his index digit up against the glass. Roxas followed the direction of the pointing finger to peer out into the backyard, the direction his window faced. From the second story window, Roxas looked down and saw his mother standing over her new rose garden, her shoulders rigid with her fists clenched tightly at her sides, her brown hair matted on her forehead from what seemed to be a long day's labor in the sun while she seemingly cursed at the dying rose bushes. Littered around her were bags of mulch and fertilizer, a leaky green hose, and other various gardening utensils. During this ordeal, Rocket was trying his best to get Roxas' mother's attention, only to be pushed away angrily and shooed away to play with Shelby, who was currently resting in the shade of a nearby tree.

"Oh, she's just being pissy over her rose garden." Roxas replied flatly, now completely disinterested. "We went to Callaway Gardens last summer, and ever since she has been talking about having her own rose garden or flower garden or whatever, but she doesn't exactly have a green thumb, if you know what I mean."

"More like, the Touch of Death?"

"Exactly. She insists it's not her fault, and she keeps wasting money on all different kinds of gardening crap."

"You should have seen her a few minutes ago. She was stomping around and making a big fuss over it. It was quite entertaining." Axel grinned as he looked down at the blonde beside him. Roxas just rolled his eyes a bit and turned away from the window to do a belly flop back onto his bed.

"Maybe to you, I guess." Roxas grumbled into the comforter beneath him.

Axel's brows scrunched together at the teen's passive behavior, wondering what exactly had Roxas in such a glum mood. There seemed to be so much angst radiating off of him that it was almost suffocating. Axel was certain that this time, it had nothing to do with him, and because of that, it concerned him. He then felt the smallest hint of regret for keeping his distance from Roxas all day. He had grown bored of sitting around while Roxas was in class, and because he had agreed to cut the annoying act, he found himself wandering about the school grounds, trying to find something to do to keep his mind off of his screaming stomach. Maybe he should have stayed nearby to see what could have made Roxas so…well, bleh.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked as he came away from the window and approached the bed, ignoring the grunt of disapproval that came from Roxas as Axel sat down on the bed beside him.

"Nothing. Just tired." Roxas mumbled into the comforter, turning his head to the side to look up at Axel. Axel's eyes narrowed at him, reading the teen's face for any sign of dishonestly.

"You're lying."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

"No, I'm…I don't want to get into one of those back and forth things right now!" Roxas groaned as he nuzzled his face into the comforter, not in the mood for one of Axel's friendly argumentative exchanges.

"And that just proves to me that something's wrong." Axel replied, flicking the blonde on the forehead, receiving another disapproving grunt. "Hmm, let's see…judging by how today is Thursday and you are home so early, I'm guessing your little ice cream ritual with your friends fell through?"

Roxas parted his lips to spit a bitter comeback out in reply, but he stopped himself before he could do so. Axel had done nothing wrong, at least to his knowledge at the moment, to provoke his hostility. He didn't want to start another incident like the one that had happened on Sunday. They were finally on bearable, speaking terms, and Roxas didn't want to screw it up by being a little bitch. Hell, Roxas had wanted to get home to vent to Axel about it anyway. He was the only one around to vent to.

"Yeah…" Roxas sighed as he turned over to lie on his side, an arm curled beneath his head to act as a makeshift pillow as he looked up at Axel. "It is partially your fault, you know."

"My fault?" Axel blinked in surprise. "I wasn't even with you most of today, how the hell is it my fault?"

"That little thing you did at the pharmacy last Thursday is what I'm talking about."

"Oh, that." Axel wanted to grin, because to him, even if he was faking it, it was actually pretty funny, but he refrained form doing so. "What does that have to do with anything? I was _there_ when Kairi and Olette forgave you."

"They're chicks, Axel." Roxas deadpanned. "They always say one thing but they mean another."

"Well aren't you just so full of knowledge? Enlighten me, oh wise one, why it is you think they didn't mean it?"

"Olette was probably sincere about her apology, but...Kairi usually tells us ahead of time if the pharmacy is closed. I know I've only been around for a few months, but I do know that Kairi can hold passive agressive grudges." Roxas flipped over so he lay on his back, his arms folding under his head as he looked up at the ceiling. "It would explain why she and Hayner skipped out on me Sunday and why she didn't tell me about the pharmacy today. So, I think she was either lying about it being closed so I wouldn't go or she wasn't going to tell me and wait until I got there to find it was closed and stand there like an idiot." There was a short silence, and Roxas started to wonder if Axel was even paying attention at all, because while he was talking, the demon became very interested in the zipper of his coat.

"You want to know what I think?" Axel asked as he looked down at the blonde beside him.

"Sorta...since I'm talking to you about it."

"I think you're overreacting."

"What makes you think I'm overreacting?" Roxas asked defensively with a frown. Axel just shrugged.

"You wanted me to tell you what I thought, and I did."

"Well now I want to know why."

"So demanding."

"Just tell me why you think I'm overreaciting."

"Like you are now?"

"I'm not overreacting!" Roxas sat upright, giving the Preta a glare. Axel met the glare with his own, the two of them just looking at each other for a few moments before the redhead heaved a sigh.

"Look...I know you're having a rough time adjusting to a new scene and all, believe me, I know it isn't easy." Axel's gaze softened as he adjusted his position so he bared most of his weight on his left arm as he turned to face the disgruntled blonde in front of him. "But it seems to me you are completely exaggerating your 'friend' situation. What should it matter what everyone else thinks about you? You can't be anyone else but yourself. It's not like you are a complete hermit, you've got friends. That should be all you really need. About Kairi," Axel reached up to rub the side of his temple a bit as he spoke. "Think of it this way. Did it ever occur to you that she might not be out to get you like you make her out to be? Maybe she didn't say anything about it because it was personal, like a family issue. Or maybe because it's really not that big of a deal whether or not it's closed, or she forgot to mention it until you reminded her. So you don't get ice cream today. The world isn't going to end, and neither is your friendship. Stop making yourself out to be the victim in everything, because it's going to make you a bitter person."

Roxas looked down and bit the inside of his cheek as he processed what Axel had said to him, and though he really didn't want to admit it, Axel was right. He noticed that he was slowly becoming more distant, more irritable, and bitter with each passing month. It wasn't him, it wasn't how he actually was. Axel must have noticed the disheartened look on the boy's face, because he leaned over and bent down to meet the blonde's gaze, making him blink at the sudden presence in front of him.

"Hey, don't look so down. You said yourself you came from a place where everyone was friends with everyone. As nice as it may have been, you aren't in the boondocks anymore. You're in the city, and people act differently here, and you have to accept that eventually instead of walking around with a chip on your shoulder. Once you get past the culture shock, it'll be easier to deal with."

"...Why are you so easy to talk to?" Roxas asked out of nowhere as the Preta came to sit upright again.

"Because I'll be rewarded for being a good listener?" Axel replied hopefully, though his tone was a bit sarcastic.

"You aren't a dog." Roxas chuckled a bit. "I mean, like... last week I was wondering if strangling you would kill you to make you shut up, and now here I am talking to you about my life's issues. It's stupid," Roxas shook his head. "Why should I be telling some Preta that has no interest in me as a person about my issues? You can just tell me to shut up if you honestly don't care."

"I never said I didn't. You forget, we're friends, remember? Isn't that what friends do?"

"Yeah, well... it's not like you're going to be around for a long time though, right?" Roxas felt a bit sad as he asked the question. Now that he had realized how easily he could talk to Axel about things he couldn't with Hayner, Pence, or any of his other friends, he didn't really want Axel to leave. What was he going to do when Axel finally left? Who would he talk to, laugh with, or even have pointless, back and forth arguements of "Nuh uh" "Uh huh" with? Axel didn't respond right away to Roxas' question, looking around the room a little before looking back at him.

"It all depends on how long you drag out this process, Roxas. But if it makes you feel any better..." Axel said as he reached out to place a hand on Roxas' shoulder, the blonde looking up at him questioningly due to the gesture. "I'll be here to listen to you, and not just because I have to. I actually do enjoy your company. I can't remember a time in my life when I've actually got to know any people personally. Once you get past your insecurities, your a pretty nice and funny kid, if you ask me...wait, are you blushing?"

"No." Roxas turned his head away from Axel sharply to disguise the slight tint of pink on his cheeks. He hadn't received a compliment like that in a long time, nor has anyone really said anything that nice to him since he had moved. He wasn't embarassed about it, but bashful, and he couldn't think of anything to say to thank the Preta for his kind words.

"Oh, but I think you are." Axel said in a taunting tone as he leaned in closer to the blonde, invading on his personal space like he had done so many times in the past. Roxas refused to give in, turning so he had his back facing the demon, hoping the gesture would make him back off. Roxas thought it had worked when Axel didn't say anything, until he felt long fingers tickle at his sides.

"Don't do that!" Roxas commanded, squirming away from the Preta's touch and slapping the gloved hand. Axel grinned mischeviously and scooted closer to the teen and pressed his index finger harshly into the his side, causing him to make a weird sound.

"Whoa, what kind of sound was that?" Axel chuckled as he perked a brow. Roxas' frowned as he lurched forward to lay down on his bed and bury his face into his pillow, hiding the blush that was smeared all over his cheeks. Roxas was very ticklish, and his sides were his weakness. There were times that his friends would sneak up behind him and poke him in the sides, and it would startle him almost to the point of screaming. But no, this time he chose to meep. _How manly._

"Mmmm fmmm fmmfm." Roxas mumbled into his pillow, clenching his arms to his sides to prevent more poking.

"Mmmfmmfmfmfm what?" Axel mocked him, rising to his knees and sat on top of Roxas back, making the blond huff loudly. "I don't think I heard you quite right."

"I said leave me alone." Roxas replied, turning his head to the side to glare up at the demon on his back, but all he got was a grin in response.

"Aw, you don't mean that." Axel pouted, tilting his head to the side and poked out his lower lip.

"Maybe I do."

"I guess that's unfortunate."

"How so?"

"Because I don't plan on leaving you alone anytime soon." Axel then proceeded to go on a tickle fest, his fingers darting to Roxas' sides and underarms, and a night filled with tickling wars began.

* * *

_**A/N:Yay, tickle wars. ;3**_

_**Note: Roxas' mom is Tifa. I couldn't think of a way to get Roxas to say her name without it looking dumb or weird...so yeah. xp**_

_**I didn't make up the whole 'Hilter carpet muncher' thing. That was actually based off of a real conversation. According to a documentary I watched recently (I'm such a discovery/history channel dweeb) Hitler would chew on strips of carpet whenever he was in deep thought or if he was stressed out. It's thought he moved his hands alot when he talked because he had unconfirmed Parkinson's disease. There were many more...slightly disturbing details, but I didn't wanna share them. xp**_

_**I have a Pokewalker....with my shiny Umbreon in it. Muahahahaha.**_

**Review? Make stripperAxel happy? :D**


	7. Something On Your Face

_**A/N: ****Hola! This chapter took a while to do thanks to my broken laptop...but nonetheless, it's done. Lots going on in this chappie.**_

**_Not much else to say but, enjoy. :)_**

* * *

***Week 2, Day 18, Sunday***

It was about 3 pm in the afternoon, when the sun was at it's hottest. Even at this time of year however, the sun's heat could be considered bearable. However, Roxas had been up since 8 am in the morning thanks to his mother, Tifa, who had woken him up extremely early to work in the yard. His efforts to plaster a pillow over his head and growl in groggy defiance, _'how dare she mess up my Sunday routine_,' proved to be in vain as she yanked the covers off of his bed and had to drag him out of it, literally. To Axel, this proved to be a very amusing sight to wake up to.

His task for the day was to pull the weeds out of the rose garden (epic fail) and to lay down newspaper around the plants to prevent weeds from growing, and then to lay down new mulch for the plants. Tifa had come to the conclusion that the weeds were the source of her rose bushes weakness and went to Google for guidance. That never usually ends well.

The whole time Roxas was pulling the weeds, he noticed that Axel had conveniently vanished for the day. It would have been great to have a second set of hands, because Sora was most likely out at his friends' house for the weekend like he usually was. At the very least, Axel could be around so he could have someone to talk to, but instead he was left to himself. His first thoughts dwelled on the idea that this whole newspaper mulch idea was very stupid. What was the point of the mulch if you put newspaper down first? Isn't the whole idea to get the mulch to mix with the dirt to make it all fertilized or whatever? Then again, he wasn't some gardening guru, but he wouldn't really trust some bozo on some random gardening forum on the internet that his mother got this idea from, either.

Roxas sighed as he sat upright, having been haunched over the garden and finally finished laying out the newspaper. He could feel his back crack and his shoulders started to hurt from being in such an awkward position for so long. Sluggishly rising to his feet, he wiped his sweating forehead with his palm, feeling some of the dirt that was caked onto his gloves transfer onto his forehead in the process, but at the moment he didn't care. He was almost done, all he had left was to spread the mulch out. He groaned irritably as he turned around to walk around the house into the front yard to get one of the three bags of mulch that Tifa had purchased the day before. Roxas felt miserable in a sense that he was very tired, very sweaty, and very very dirty, and all he really wanted to do was to take a long, cold shower and flop down on his bed and sleep for the next three years.

He tried to pick up one of the bags to casually carry it along, but he let out a small yelp as the bag proved to be much heavier than he anticipated and fell on his foot. It didn't hurt so much as it did surprise him. After silently cursing himself, he bent down to pick the bag up again, but he felt the bag being lifted from off of his foot before he could grab the bag himself.

"You need some help?" A familiar voice asked. Roxas looked up to see no one other than his new redheaded demon roomate Axel with a smug grin on his thin lips as he slung the bag of mulch over his shoulder with ease.

"How nice of you to finally show up." Roxas scowled a bit in response as he stood upright.

"Aw, you missed me." Axel cooed teasingly as he used his free hand to ruffle through Roxas' dirty and sweaty blonde hair.

"It's nasty, just so you know, wait until I take a shower later." Roxas said as he batted the hand away, assuming that Axel was just looking for something to snack on. Axel chuckled as he looked at the teen's face, which was covered in mud and dirt, especially on his forehead, probably from wiping his brow so much.

"You got something on your face." Axel said matter of factly.

"No shit. I've been working outside all day." Axel brought his hand back to the blonde's face and tried to wipe away some of the mud with his thumb. Roxas blinked, not sure of what to make of this new gesture, and it became even more strange when Axel licked his thumb and tried wiping away at the mud on his forehead again, this time being much more effective. It was weird, because it seemed like something his mother would do.

"Uh...Axel?"

"Hm?" The redhead mumbled as he pulled his hand away, having accomplished his task and repositioned the bag of mulch over his shoulder.

"What was that?"

"What?" Axel asked with an innocent look on his face. "Oh, that? I said you had something on your face, I got it off." He explained with a shrug. "Why?"

"...Nothing." Roxas shook his head. He knew he should be more angry than he actually was, but he was more surprised than he was angry. Roxas wasn't expecting something so...affectionate from the Preta at all, and it just simply left him there with 'what the fuck' written all over his face. He shook away the fluttering feeling in his stomach and gave Axel another frown. "You could have been here earlier and helped me, you know."

"With yardwork?" Axel made a face, sticking his tongue out slightly between his lips. "No thanks, I don't do hard labor. I just felt sorry for you, so I figured I'd at least help with this bag for you."

"Gee, thanks." Roxas rolled his eyes as they made their way into the back yard, but he couldn't help but feel a smile bubble in the corner of his lips because of the face Axel was making. Axel could be so expressive when he wanted to be, and Roxas wasn't entirely sure if that is how Axel really was or if he was just showing out. Roxas had come to know that he didn't, and probably never would, know what Axel was really, truly like. But either way, it was entertaining. Roxas' brows suddenly meshed together as he frowned. Was he honestly thinking about how how funny Axel was?

"New mulch isn't going to help at all." Axel said with a huff as he heaved a bag of fetilizer down on the ground beside Tifa's pathetic looking rose bushes, making Roxas halt any thought process he had.

"Really? And since when do you know so much about gardening?" Roxas huffed irritably as he looked down and brushed the dirt and gooey mulch off of his shirt that he had accumulated over the day, trying to hide the slight shade of pink that had accumulated on his dusty cheeks.

"I don't. I just know that the problem has nothing to do with how your mom keeps spraying and throwing chemicals on it and slowly turning this patch of land into a biohazard."

"Then what is it, then? I'd love to hear it, so I wouldn't have to spend my Sundays doing this crap." Roxas said as he pushed past the Preta and bent down to start tearing the bag open to spread the mulch.

"I don't think you'll believe me."

"What reason do I have not to believe you?" Roxas asked as he looked over his shoulder at the Preta. The question caught the demon by surprise, his eyes widening a bit. It kind of looked like he was mocking a gaping fish. "And what's with the weird face?"

"Nothing," Axel replied simply as he shut his jaw, rubbing the side of his head in slight embarassment. "Wasn't expecting that kind of response I guess. But anyway...like I was saying, it's not your mom's fault."

"That makes twice you've said that. Now why?"

"There's a Preta eating her rosebuds at night." Well, that wasn't what he was expecting. But he wasn't too surprised; Axel would sometimes point out to him when something was due to a Preta's deeds, or point out another's presence. He had noticed that Axel tended to dissapear alot when he thought there was another Preta around, but like usual he would return in a (sometimes) timely manner.

"Really..?"

"Yeah." Axel reclined back a little where he was sitting, stretching out his arms along the step behind him. "That's also why I've been hanging out at your window alot lately. He comes around at night, picks off any rosebuds he sees and sneaks away." Axel had been watching the Preta do this routine for several days now, at first fearing that the other Preta was slinking around to steal his prey away. Pretas can be very territorial, especially if their food source is scarce. Axel had encountered several Pretas that tried to steal his meal at times, but he managed to fend them off pretty well. But this particular Preta didn't seemed to be interested in Roxas at all, so Axel concluded to let him be for now.

Roxas' brows scrunched together as he looked back down at the rose bush. After giving the bush a closer look, he could see that instead of it looking like the rosebuds had fallen off of the bush, the stems were torn apart, as if someone had torn the bush to pieces. But his train of thought shifted from his mother's dying obsession to other questions that had been stirring up in his mind for a while now.

"Can I ask you something?" Roxas asked as he approached the Preta that was sitting on his back porch steps.

"Knock yourself out."

"How come I can see you and Demyx, but I can't see any other Pretas like the ones you keep pointing out?" Roxas made a motion for Axel to scoot over, and the redhead consented, scooting over to the side to let the blonde sit beside him. "The things you keep talking about sound alot like what ghosts do...is Preta a fancy word for a ghost or something?"

"Oh no, there's a difference between Pretas and ghosts." Axel chuckled. "The only things similar is that no regular human can really see us unless they're 'gifted' or they show themselves. Ghosts can interact with inanimate objects and go through walls and whatnot, you know, the fancy stuff you see in movies and such. But they can't physically interact with people. Like..." Axel paused in the middle of his explanation, lifting one of his hands from the step behind them and proceeded to jab Roxas in his tender spot on his side, causing the blonde to meep loudly.

"You said you'd stop doing that!" Roxas frowned, a slight shade of pink dusting his cheeks.

"I said no such thing." Axel grinned devilishly. "Besides, your reaction is too funny _not_ to."

"You did too say you'd stop when you did it yesterday." Roxas grumbled as he looked away from the redhead.

"That's because you promised me food. I might be more inclined to stop if you give me all of your hair." Axel's grin widened as he leaned over towards the blonde.

"Not happening." Roxas didn't miss a beat.

"Suit yourself." Axel jabbed his side again.

"Are you going to answer my question or are you just going to keep poking me, because I have other things I could be doing." Roxas turned his head to look at Axel again, but he was met with a long index finger jabbing into his nose.

"There's a method to my madness." Axel replied as he pushed at Roxas' nose before pulling his hand away. "Ghosts can't touch you like I can. Or, if they do, you don't feel it. If Pretas touch people, it can be felt. Sometimes Pretas like to mess with people for fun, like blowing at their necks or tapping them on the shoulder, just things like that. We can also use illusions and all different kinds of things to interact with people without them realizing. Think of Pretas kind of like...a poltergeist. Without the whole 'terrorize your family get out of my house' bit."

"What about the whole invisible thing? If we can feel you touching us how come we can't see you?"

"I already said Pretas can make themselves invisible, and they almost always are. It's why you can't see them. Ghosts are spirits, so they're invisible to humans because of that and they can pass through walls and such. Pretas are a specific form of life. In a sense, Pretas are like humans, but we're invisible. We can't walk through walls, but we can portal from place to place if it's a short distance. You either have to train your mind's eye to specifically see us, or a Preta can show themselves or 'give you permission.' Kinda like how I did with you."

"So there's nothing special about me?" Roxas said in a mock pout.

"Nope." Axel chuckled again.

"Anyway...how do you choose who sees you or not?"

"Watch." Axel said as he reached back behind his head, grasping the hood of his trenchcoat, and as he pulled the hood over his head, Roxas watched as Axel suddenly phazed out of sight. Roxas reached over to try to touch where Axel had been sitting with wide blue eyes, but his hands met nothing, only falling to the brick of the step he was sitting on. Roxas then tried to strain his hearing to see if he could hear Axel moving about, but he was only met with the soft whistle of an early spring's breeze on his ear. Slightly annerved, Roxas stood up from the stairs and walked down to the bottom step, looking around for any sign of movement.

"Some Pretas wear their hoods." Roxas heard Axel's voice from over his shoulder, turning around to see the Preta sitting on his rooftop with his legs dangling over the side without his hood on. "That way no one can see us, gifted or not. But I don't like to wear my hood all that much," Axel combed through his firey red mane to get it back to it's proper positions. "and there are others that don't, too. But we still remain invisible to the untrained eye unless we willingly show ourselves, hence why you can see, because I only want you to see me, and no one else. With Demyx, I just tore off his hood when he glomped me the other day, and because I'm in contact and visible to you, I was able to forcefully make him visible to you too. But I don't think you'll see him again unless he wants you to see him." Axel propped his head up with his hand, his elbow resting on his knee. "Anything else?"

"Yeah." Roxas nodded, processing all of the information Axel was giving him. "How did you become a Preta?" Axel's grin faded, lips drawing into a thin line as he narrowed his eyes at Roxas, making Roxas feel very uneasy. "Nevermind. Stupid question, I know better." He held his hands up defensively and shook his head.

"Good answer." Axel said, his tone a bit sour as he rose to his feet and started to walk away towards Roxas' open window to slip through the entrance into the room. Roxas bit down on the corner of his lip. He really wanted to know about Axel's past, but every time he brought it up, Axel would either give him a nasty look or clam up. He respected Axel, but his curiousity for history was eating away at him. From what Roxas could gather, Axel was alive around the end of World War II and the Cold War, one of the periods of time that Roxas liked the most. He wanted to hear about it from a first person point of view, but Axel seemed determined not to talk about it.

The blonde heaved a sigh as he looked up at his window. _Guess I should go apologize to him_, he thought to himself, starting to make his way up the steps that lead to the back door. Maybe in due time, Axel would be more willing to open up to him. That would mean putting up with his presence a little longer, but Roxas was starting not to mind that much. It was weird at first to think of Axel as a friend or someone he could hang out with, but as time progressed, Roxas was finding himself looking forward to talking to him. In the back of his mind, he knew that Axel would have to leave eventually and leave him to be alone once again, but he tried not to think about it. In fact, his first priority on his mind at the moment before apologizing to Axel was to take a long shower to wash away the grime and dirt that covered him from head to toe from working outside all day.

As he walked into his home, he quickly pulled off his dirty tennis shoes with his feet at the back door to keep from tracking mud through the house and made a beeline for the stair case that lead up towards his room.

"Hey, Roxas, you got mail!" The blonde heard a familiar young voice call to him as he passed by the kitchen. He stopped abruptly in his tracks and took three steps backwards to look into the kitchen to confirm the voice that he had heard. When he saw who it was that called to him, he was ready to wring his neck.

"Sora?" Roxas frowned as he gave his younger sibling that was sitting upon a black stool that sat in front of a bar right behind the stove in the center of the room a nasty look. "Where the heck have you been all day? Why weren't you outside helping me out with the yard work?"

"Where have I been?" Sora asked dumbly, blinking a few times before he feigned a nasty sounding cough. "Oh yeah, I've...been sick. I was in bed all day...didn't feel too good."

"Bullshit." Roxas growled as he strode into the kitchen and gave the brunette a firm punch in the shoulder, causing him to yelp. "I could have been done with this hours ago if you would have come outside and helped me out. I helped you with it last time."

"Let's see... help you with yard work or play Burnout all day..." Sora said thoughtfully as he rubbed his hurting shoulder, as if weighing out the two options before giving Roxas an innocent look. "Could you blame me?"

"Yes, I can, actually." Roxas restrained himself from punching that little innocent smile off of his little brother's face like he desperately wanted to. Had he known Sora was even home (his brother was usually gone on the weekends to go to a friend's house) he would have dragged him outside to endure their mother's torture with him.

"I know what will brighten your day." Sora said in a sugary sweet tone that made Roxas want to gag. The brunette held up a white envelope and waved it around in his older brother's face. "You got mail~"

"I heard you the first time." Roxas hissed as he snatched the envelope away from Sora, looking down at the letter in his hands. It looked like one of those very fancy envelopes, not just the kind you could buy in a 60 pack of envelopes at Wal Mart. It was addressed to him as "Mr. Roxas Grimm," but it had no return address. Having not forgotten about his mission, Roxas turned away to continue his journey towards the bathroom, still looking over the envelope.

"Wait, where are you going? I wanna see what it is!" He heard Sora call after him as he turned the corner out of the kitchen. Roxas paid him no mind; he didn't deserve to see what it was since he bailed on him from helping out outside. As he started up the stairs, he tore the envelope open carefully and took out it's contents, surprised at what he saw. It wasn't a letter, but from the looks of it, it looked like a very fancy invitation. It was darh grey with detailed black swirly and floral designs, with a black bow threaded through the top. His first reaction was '_Who the fuck got married?' _But he soon found out that it was not a wedding invitation when he opened the card.

* * *

Meanwhile, Axel was sulking. Yes, he was sulking on Roxas' bed with his face buried in a mountian of pillows as he laid on his stomach, growling softly into the fluffy white surface. It happened every time they were having a decent converstation; they would be having a nice time and then Roxas would ask about his past or what he had done to become a Preta. At first, Axel would get angry with Roxas for asking about it after he had specifically said that he didn't want to talk about it. But it was becoming clear to him that Roxas was going to be persistent about it, just as he was about getting his hands on the teen's golden locks, and he wouldn't quit until he got it out of him. Axel was in a deadlock, and he had no idea what to do.

In all of his sixty years, he had never told anyone about his experience as a Holocaust victim. Talking about the Holocaust was sometimes in itself a taboo topic, and talking about being apart of it wasn't exactly a walk in the park, either. Yet, he had heard that talking about such things can make them easier to deal with. The only problem with that was Axel had never had a friend that he could talk to about it. Demyx was somewhat of a friend, more of a borderline 'friend/aquaintance,' but he wasn't comfortable with the idea of talking to the sand eating Preta about it. If anything, Demyx wouldn't even pay attention at all. Roxas seemed more than willing to listen. But as soon as the memories came to his mind, his already aching stomach would twist into sickening nausea and his words would choke his throat. There were times that he feared he would start hyperventilating. Axel wasn't the type to be frightened, but the few things he was afraid of would render him terrified and speechless. He could easily jump off a building if he wanted to just for shits and giggles knowing full well that he couldn't die from it, but when it came to trying to talk to Roxas about his past, he just couldn't.

_Even if I could talk to him about it, he would judge me for it_. Axel thought to himself as he turned his head to the side to allow himself to breathe as he exhaled loudly through his nose. _Then anything that comes out of our friendship will be just because he feels sorry for me. I don't want that, not from him. _Though he did consider using his Holocaust sob story to manipulate Roxas into a sentimental pile of goo to get him to fork over his hair, Axel dismissed the thought shamefully. He could be a manipulative bastard, but his pride would never let him go to something so low, especially because Roxas wasn't just anyone. He was his friend. His only friend. Maybe even...his best friend.

"What are you doing?" the sound of Roxas' voice interjected his thoughts, and judging from the familiar strong smell of Axe body wash that was now wafing through the room, the teen had just gotten finished taking a shower.

"I'm wallowing in self pity." Axel grumbled sarcastically through the pillows, though that was actually what he was doing.

"If you start cutting yourself, just don't get it on my sheets." Roxas shot back in an equally sarcastic tone.

"Your caring and concern is just _smothering_."

"I try." Roxas shrugged. Axel felt a grin perk in the corner of his lip and he looked over his shoulder to look at the blonde, and was slightly surprised at the sight. Normally, Roxas was very self concious around Axel, and would bring clothes with him to change into when he went to take a shower, but this time the teen was clad in only a towel around his waist, his blonde hair wet and flat on his head, traces of the water from the shower still visible on his slightly tan skin. Axel had half the mind to say _"Is it my birthday?"_ but he stopped himself before he could let that thought slip out, instead he mustered up a snicker.

"What's so funny?" Roxas said blandly as he sifted through his drawers for something comfortable to wear to play around in, because that's exactly what he was planning on doing for the rest of the day.

"You have a farmer's tan." Axel snickered. It was better than his original thought, in his opinion. It was also kind of weird for Roxas to have a tan when winter had just ended about a month ago. An odd time to be tan.

"I what..oh." Roxas blinked and looked down at himself, and it seemed that the teen had just become aware of the situation he was in. He turned his head away to hide his scowl that completely contradicted the slight blush on his face. He had not intended on walking in on Axel like this, but he was still upset about the invitation's contents that he didn't think clearly about what he was doing when he stepped out of the shower and stomped into his bedroom. "I've always had one. I'm just outside alot, alright?"

"Attitude?" Axel's small brow perked. Roxas just shook his head irritably and tossed the invitation and envelope over to the bed, the invitation landing safely onto the bed, but the envelope only fluttered pitifully to the floor a few inches away from Roxas' feet. He didn't feel like explaining it, he'd rather Axel just read it while he went to change. As the blonde exited the room, Axel's attention turned towards the black and grey card at his side. He reached over to pick the card up and open it to see what was written in such fancy black lettering inside. A few minutes later, Roxas returned, this time he was dressed and his hair was a bit dryer, having ruffled it over with his towel and leaving it poking out in random places.

"A prom invitation?" Axel asked as he looked over at the disgruntled Roxas. "You have your panties in a wad over a prom invitation?"

"Shut up." Roxas said as he picked up one of the pillows on his bed and smacked the redhead over the head with it, hoping to get the points across that he didn't appreciate the snarky comment and to move over so he could sit on his bed.

"Must you be so violent?" Axel pouted as he snatched the pillow away and smacked Roxas with it in response, then quickly tucking it under his body before the teen could snatch it back from him.

"Move over."

"Not until you tell me why you're upset about prom."

"Because prom is stupid."

"Only people who can't get dates say that."

"Are you in some kind of 'Captian Obvious' mood or what?"

"You don't think you can get a date? That's bullshit." Axel laughed as he turned over onto his back, opening up the left side of the bed for Roxas to sit down on.

"I don't think I can, I know I can't."

"Okay then, well even if you can't, it's not the end of the world if you go to prom without a date. Alot of people go alone or just with friends."

"I still don't want to go."

"Why not? From what I've heard, prom is a really important part of the high school experience, and the times I've seen one, it seems like alot of fun. Why wouldn't you want to go to that?"

"Have you never been to prom?" Roxas asked with a perked brow.

"Didn't have prom around when I was a kid." Axel replied with a shrug, but he waved a dismissive hand. "But that doesn't matter. Why aren't you going, besides the fact that you don't think you can get a date?"

"I have my reasons."

"Uh huh." Axel deadpanned, his expression going blank as he pushed himself up from the bed to turn on his side to look at Roxas, supported by his left arm propping him up. "Let me hear your excuses then."

Roxas was caught in his own web. The blonde averted his gaze as he racked his brain to come up with those 'reasons' he claimed to have. He had hoped that it would be enough to end the conversation, but apparently it didn't.

"Um..." Roxas said uneasily as he looked back up at Axel. "I..don't have a tux?"

"Lie."

"What? How would you know?" Roxas said accusingly. Axel started to laugh.

"Because of how you just reacted. You got all defensive. Besides, I know you have a tux, it's in your closet. Family wedding?"

"Yes." Roxas grumbled, defeated._ I don't know whether I should be more upset that he caught me in my lie, or the fact that he has been through my closet._

"Score one for me then." Axel pumped his fist. "Next excuse? This is like that water dunking game at carnivals."

"Even if I had a date, I don't have a car?"

"Believe me, some parents are more than willing to fork up the cash to pay for a limo, especially if it's your first prom. Your mom seems like she'd do something like that. Next."

_He's really good at this_, Roxas said to himself. This wasn't going to be easy.

"No one would want to go with me?"

"You could take Kairi or Olette as friends, or just go with your friends as a group."

"Neither of them would want to go with me, and besides, I don't like either of them like that."

"Whatever, as a group then. Next."

"I can't dance." Roxas exaspirated, at the end of his rope. After this, he had no excuses left to play Axel's little game.

"I see." Axel said knowlegably with a nod.

"Oh well, it looks like I'm still not going to prom." Roxas said quickly, wanting to drop the conversation as quickly as possible as he turned over to get up off of his bed, but he was stopped with a hand firmly squeezing his shoulder.

"Oh no you don't." Axel said in a challenging tone, the blonde looking over his shoulder to see the Preta grinning from ear to ear. "You aren't getting out of this one, either. You're in luck, Roxy, because it just so happens that I know how to dance."

"You don't say." Roxas replied through clenched teeth as he gave the redhead a half hearted smile.

"As a matter of fact, I do. And I'm not going to let you get a wink of sleep tonight until you let me show you how it's done. How does that sound?"

"Wonderful." Roxas grumbled in the most disinterested tone as possible, but inside he felt nervous. He was a bit weirded out that Axel, _a guy_, seemed all too eager to help him out with this little problem of his. The fluttering feeling in his stomach that he had felt when Axel wiped the mud off of his face earlier returned with a vengance. He couldn't understand what the feeling was or why it was happening, but he could feel his face getting hot as a result of it. Roxas silently wished that he could have taken it back and said he was making it up, but in truth he really didn't know how to dance.

"You don't sound so excited." Axel mockingly pouted.

"Yeah...well..." Roxas turned his head to the side casually to prevent Axel from seeing the pink on his cheeks.

"Look at it this way," Axel said calmly, sensing Roxas' anxiousness. "Would you rather dance with me now and know what to do when you get to prom or do you want to be closed minded and look like an idiot?"

Roxas bit on the corner of his lip as he contemplated his options. Axel was right, if he wanted to know how to dance right in the event he did end up going to prom, he'd have to swallow his pride and whatever this fluttering sensation was and do it. The only problem was, he did know how to just plain dance, but he didn't know how to slow dance. Yeah. A bit more awkward. The thought of Axel trying to teach him how to slow dance was making Roxas feel even more flustered...if that's what you'd call the feeling he was experiencing.

"Why are you acting so shy?" Axel chuckled. "Yes or no?"

"Fine." Roxas grumbled in spite of himself. _Let's just get it over with._

"Alright then." Axel grinned as he released his grip on Roxas and got off of the bed. "I'm guessing you need to learn how to slow dance?"

"Huh...? Wha...how did you know?" Roxas said defensively, his arms crossing tightly at his chest as he rose off of his bed as well, looking over at the Preta who was standing on the other side of Roxas' bed. The Preta flashed a toothy grin.

"Just a guess. You don't exactly hide your anxiety very well. Or your blushes for that matter."

"Stop jerking me around and let's just do this, okay?" Roxas said, feeling his cheeks grow hot again.

"Oooh, someone's getting fiesty." Axel teased as he came around from the side of Roxas' bed to stand in front of it, where there was more room. "Well then, do you have any music?"

"Music?"

"Yes, music." Axel deadpanned. "Because doing this in silence would be very awkward." Roxas glanced around his room before finding what he was looking for and pointed over towards a white iHome sitting on his dresser with his iTouch sitting in the dock.

"Use that. Wait, do you know how to use an iPod?" He felt kind of stupid asking Axel that, but he wasn't sure if Axel had taken the time to learn how to use one, if a Preta had any use for an iPod at all.

"Not really." Axel admitted with a shrug. "Don't really have a use to have one unless I ate them, and I don't." This response got a muffled snicker from the blonde. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's stupid really." Roxas shook his head with a small smile as he went over to his iTouch to flip through his song options. "I tried to picture you eating an iPod." Axel exhaled through his nose loudly and frowned a bit, not all too thrilled with Roxas making fun of his situation. But he didn't have the time to dwell on it.

Roxas flipped through his music, and he came to realize that he was lacking in the slow dance music department. Like, really lacking. He frowned as he flipped through his music a second time, trying to find something, anything, that would work. He wasn't looking for specific lyrics or whatever, just something slow so this whole ordeal could be over and done. He was tired and he really just wanted to take a nap, and he really wanted to get rid of this feeling in his stomach. He still couldn't put his finger on it, but it made him anxious, especially whenever he glanced over his shoulder at the Preta who was standing behind him with his arms crossed at his chest and waiting patiently for Roxas to come to a decision.

"Fuck it." Roxas said, unwilling to look any longer and just pressed the shuffle button and hoped for the best. In My Mind by SR-71 began to play through the speakers. Roxas paused for several moments and looked over his shoulder at the redhead and gave him a pained look. "It's the best I can do."

"Then that's all that matters." Axel waved a dismissive hand and then motioned the blonde closer. Roxas felt his stomach lurch now that he had arrived at the moment he was dreading. He tried to put on his straightest face as he approached the Preta, trying his best to hide his anxiety over this whole situation. He didn't want Axel to laugh at him again. Roxas stopped short, but Axel reached out to grab the blonde's shoulder gently and tug him a bit closer, and he could feel Roxas' resistance as he did so.

"I'm not going to bite you, you know." Axel said softly, his sympathetic tone catching Roxas off gaurd. "If you're really that nervous about this then we don't have to do it." Axel was starting to feel guilty for pressuring Roxas into it. Roxas' nervousness was starting to worry Axel, and he was beginning think that Roxas was uncomfortable with him, even afraid of him. Fear would be a stretch, but the thought crossed his mind nonetheless. The last thing he wanted to do was scare him. Roxas' eyes suddenly filled with the fire of determination and he looked up at Axel.

"I'm not nervous." Roxas said flatly. "I just need to learn. Now teach me." Any worry that Axel had about Roxas being uncomfortable with him faded away.

"Yes sir." Axel chuckled, taking his hand off of the teen's shoulder, his emerald gaze drifting down to the floor for a moment before coming back up to meet with colbalt blue. _I guess he's sizing me up,_ Roxas thought to himself. "Okay then," Axel said after his moment of contemplation. "I'll play the guy role, alright?"

"Why can't I?" Roxas demanded.

"Because the guy leads and you have no clue what you're doing." Axel said with a grin. "Now, can we start or do you want to keep trying to argue with me?" Roxas opened his mouth to protest, but he stopped as Axel reached out and grabbed his sides, pulling Roxas closer to him so there was a small space between them. Roxas' words caught in his throat as he realized how close they were, feeling his face get hot very quickly. Axel chuckled at the sight of Roxas' blush. "When you dance with your date, you can start out at the sides like this. She-" Axel stopped mid-sentence to remove his hands and grab Roxas' hands and gently put them up on his own shoulders. "will put hers on your shoulders like this."

"I know that much." Roxas said unevenly, trying to make it into an irritated growl but he couldn't find the strength to. This whole thing, this whole idea felt weird and wrong, probably becaise he almost hand to stand on his tip toes to put his hands on Axel's shoulders. He wasn't given much time to dwell on it when he felt Axel place his hands on his sides again, flinching slightly out of habit. In the past, Axel had only touched Roxas' sides when he was going to tickle them, but he didn't seem intent on doing that at the moment. Axel started to lead, taking small steps side to side to get them started.

"It'll start out slow." Axel said, for some reason keeping his voice a bit quieter than usual. "You can just go side to side, or you can work your way around in a circle." He started to move so that they were slowly going in a circle. They stayed like this for a few minutes, but Axel was starting to get preturbed that Roxas wasn't looking him in the eye. He would either keep looking down or look just past the redhead's shoulder. "I know you may feel weird doing this with me, but if you have a date, you should look her in the eye," Axel smiled a bit. "even if she's ugly as hell."

"Wow, thanks." Roxas said sarcastically, taking a moment to look up at Axel in the eye. He was starting to feel a bit more relaxed, but he only held on to their gaze for a few moments before looking away, looking into Axel's bright green eyes proving to be a bit intense. Instead, he let his gaze shift blankly into Axel's chest. Had he known slow dancing was so easy, he wouldn't have asked for the Preta's help. "You...uh...feel really warm."

"Thank you?" Axel chuckled, his statement being more of a question, making Roxas feel stupider. "Don't sweat it, it's just a trait of my abilities."

"Abilities?"

"Yes, I told you Pretas can use magic...at least I think I did. Anyway, you remember when I burned up your history book?"

"How could I forget?"

"My preference is fire magic. I can use a bit of other things, but fire is my trademark, so it leaves me a bit warmer than usual. I can do alot of things with my magic, but that's a story for another day." Axel had noticed the song was seeming to be reaching it's midpoint, so he figured they should continue with the lesson. "There's a chance that she, or you, might want to get a little closer, but only if your comfortable with it. If you do, then just slip your arms around," Axel said, his long fingertips slowly slipping around Roxas' waist and kitting together behind the blonde's back, drawing him even closer. Roxas absently followed suit before he could realize what he was doing, trying to connect his hands behind Axel's neck, but he just couldn't due to his short stature. The frustration written on his face made Axel laugh.

"Aw, you're a little shorty." Axel teased.

"Aw, you're a giant freak." Roxas shot back. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach increase in intensity as he felt the warmth of Axel's form so close to him. This still felt weird, it still felt wrong. He was a demon. A Preta. A_ guy_. This wasn't supposed to happen. Roxas knew he shouldn't feel this way. But in the back of his mind, he couldn't deny that, despite any reason he tried to come up with for why this was unnatural or weird, it felt warm. Even comforting. It made him want to smile, but he knew that Axel would never lt him live it down if he gave him any inclination that he was enjoying this at all.

"You feel alright?" Axel asked, and Roxas broke his trance to look up at the Preta who was looking down at him with a small smile.

"...Yeah." Roxas replied simply, giving the Preta a small nod. After a few more moments, the song came to it's end, and the room fell silent. The two of them finished their last circling motion, and then they came to a stop. Roxas was a bit surprised how Axel just detatched so quickly, uncoiling his arms from around his waist and crossing his arms casually at his chest, as if nothing had happened. "So...That's all?"

"That's all?" Axel parroted with a smug grin. "What, were you expecting me to kiss you or something?" Roxas went through the roof at that one. His face turned as red as Axel's hair.

"N-no, of course not!" Roxas exclaimed, flailing about a bit as he tried to cover up his embarassment. The sight made Axel throw back his head and laugh loudly. Roxas frowned with a growl and clenched his hands at his sides like a child. "That's not funny, Axel!"

"Yes it is, your reaction was priceless!"

"You are such an asshole sometimes."

"But you put up with it."

"Because I have to."

"You know deep down, wayyy deep down in your heart that you don't mind putting up with me."

"I'm done with this conversation, I am going to get dinner, you can kiss my ass."

"I'd love to." Axel wiggled his brows suggestively. Roxas gaped like a fish out of water, unable to bear being in the same room with Axel, and stomped out, with a snickering Preta demon close behind.

* * *

**_A/N: Hooray for Axel being a pervert 8D And yay for fluff!_**

**_I kicked my writing muse's ass, and this is what it threw up. Hope you liked it. The first part was clarifying a few questions that have arisen or will arise about Pretas. Hope it helped!_**

**_Oh, btw, I have a poll going on my profile about what mah next smut will be, (to be more accurate, which will come first.) Vote if you'd like. I've been trying to plug my ears on the demands to continue RPA -LALALALALAICANTHEARYOU!- but they're reeely starting to get to me. I'm not promising anything, but...hehehehe. ;3 My readers might get lucky._**

**_Please Reviewwwwww! You will make me so happy, I spent alot of time on this chappie :3_**


	8. My Space Heater

_**A/N: Another chapter already? Let's just say I was in the zone. And the reviews I got were awesome too, they got me pumped, haha. I'm sorry if I haven't responded to your reviews right away, but my laptop won't let me do very much without it going into a seizure and exploding, so I have to play nice. *sweatdrop.* I'll answer them soon!**_

_**I apologize ahead of time that I didn't use Namine's accent mark, but every time I typed in the code my computer wigged out and shut off because of it's lameness at the moment. You'll have to deal with it for now.**_

* * *

Somewhere closest to the center of Heaven, upon the rolling mountians of Pure Abode that overlooks the entirity of the sacred world like a lush, grassy castle whose size dwarfed any and all castles and cathedrals that could be found on Earth, a high ranking angel was awaking from her light slumber. Her beautiful blue eyes slowly fluttered open with the grace of a butterfly's beating wing, her drowsy eyes greeted with the sight of a beautiful golden sunset, the sky above a tapestry woven in red, gold, and amber, the sun's final rays gleaming to reach every corner of Heaven, from the very top of the Pure Abode to the very outer edges of Heaven. The gentle kisses of bubbles brushed against her skin that rose from a continuously streaming geyser to which she had made her residence, her ears filling with the soft whispers of earthly and heavenly voices.

The Angel of Prayer, affectionately known as Namine, was awakening the same time of day she had always been for the past thousand years. It was at this time that the prayers of lower worlds would be at their height, millions of prayers continuously seeping through the geyser in the form of bubbles to be heard and distributed among the beings of Heaven, and at times, the beings of Hell. However, sending prayers to Hell was very rare; not very many wicked people received prayers from friends or loved one who had not yet passed. Her task was to sift through these prayers and have her vessels send them to their respective receivers. Namine was unlike most angels in heaven; she was apart of the highest class of angels, the most heavenly and pure of all beings. She had acheived this feat through many, many lifetimes of meditation and striving to acheive enlightenment. It was now that her hard work was starting to pay off; when she passes away from this life, she will become one with the Gods, acheiving the highest form of peace and happiness the universe had to offer. But until then, she was content with her way of life.

Her vessels, which were works of art that she had brought to life with the stroke of a brush, were working dilligently to sort through the prayers, buzzing about like little worker bees to fufill their master's duties. She smiled softly, admiring their spirit, and rose to her feet from the cool ground that she had been resting upon, which was surrounded by a fairy's ring(*). As she stepped out of the ring, she took a moment to stretch out her six petite, yet dazzling white wings that were feeling a bit cramped from being folded for a long stretch of time. She let her eyes drift to a close as she took in the sweet, flowery scent of the air, the sweet smell signaling that all was as it should be in Heaven. The flowers here had voices; they spoke through their scents, and if there was anything wrong with the balance of things, they were the first to give notice. So far, it had been three hundred years since the last major disturbance.

Her delicate fingers intertwined with each other, bringing her entertwined hands to her chest, as she listened to a few of the prayers that poured from the mouth of the geyser. Yet, her peace was soon disrupted. Her eyes shot open, her wings shivering with concern. She could smell something...and it was quite unlike anything she had ever smelled from any flower that belonged to Heaven. It wasn't horribly different, but whatever it was, it had a distinct, bitter smell, like burned unsweet chocolate. Each troubling smell that the flowers gave off meant different things, but this was a meaning that even Namine was not certian of.

"Trouble is coming..." Namine breathed softly, the very sound of her solemn voice making the mountians shiver around her. Something was not right in Heaven. And Namine knew that had to find out the source before the stench clogged every nose in this higher world.

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***Week 2, Day 20, Tuesday***

_Damn this cold weather_, Roxas hissed to himself as he stuffed his cold hands into the pockets of his thick black sweater, his cheeks a rosy hue and his teeth chattering furiously as he pressed on through the cold wind lashing in his face. He could see as he walked through the streets that others around him were merely dressed in hoodies or light sweaters, but where Roxas was from, the weather never got this cold, even in the winter. Wearing such thick clothing then felt weird this past winter, and to have to drag it all out again was annoying. Roxas wasn't used to this kind of weather, so he dressed heavier than others. Tifa had warned him Sunday evening at dinner that the weather man said a cold front was coming, but since when does anyone listen to those morons? _And when did they get the permission to be accurate anyway_, Roxas thought as he let another shiver roll off of his shoulders.

He really wished he could be at home now, playing video games with his brother or curling up on the couch with his fuzzy, warm dogs to watch a movie, but he was on a misson. A personal mission. He had asked Axel to let him be for a couple of hours so he could 'think about some family things,' but the Preta wasn't buying it. After an arguement, a breif tickle war, and name calling, Axel finally agreed to let him be. But, if he didn't make it home in a few hours like he promised, Axel said quote, "I will hunt you down and drag you home kicking and screaming." He said it jokingly of course, at least that's what Roxas thought.

Once Roxas made it to the park, the blonde began scanning the area carefully for a familiar mullet head. Axel had said that Demyx would likely not appear again unless he wanted Roxas to see him, so Roxas was silently hoping that their first encounter left him in Demyx's good graces. That was, assuming that Demyx hadn't already up and left. Roxas first stop would be at the children's playground. He knew there was a sandbox there, and Demyx was likely to be there more than anywhere else. To Roxas' dismay, once he had reached his destination, the Preta was nowhere in sight, at least in his sight. He didn't want to try to approach the sandbox, because he wanted to avoid confused stares from the few children that were playing in it.

"Hey stranger!" Roxas heart leaped as he heard the Preta's voice, looking over his shoulder to see the dirty blonde male sitting in a low branch of a bradford pear tree along the pathwalk, a huge grin on his face as he waved his hand around wildly as if to get Roxas' attention. Roxas breathed an internal sigh of releif as he gave Demyx an acknowledging nod. He refrained from talking aloud until he had walked over into close proximity with the small tree.

"Hi Demyx." Roxas greeted as he looked up at the Preta. "I'm...kinda surprised I can still see you."

"Aww don't worry about it." Demyx chuckled as he ran his fingers through his hair to try to get stray hairs out of his face, but it proved to be in vain. "Any friend of Axel's is a friend of mine. You are pretty cool to talk to anyway. You here to hang out with me? That would be awesome."

"Well...kind of." Roxas shrugged. "I actually wanted to talk to you for a little while, if that's okay." He had no idea what an average Preta's daily schedule was, and if Demyx had something he needed to do, he didn't want to get in the way.

"Sure!" Demyx replied as he jumped down from the tree, landing on the ground with a huff and brushed off the small leaves and twigs that had accumulated on his lap while he had been sitting in the tree. "You wanna go somewhere where we can talk without people around, I guess?"

"That would be great." Roxas said as he smiled a bit. Being thrown into a mental ward was not on his agenda for the day. Demyx motioned for Roxas to follow him and the two began to walk across the park. Roxas didn't know where Demyx was taking him, but he became confused when Demyx started to cut across a patch of woodwork on the park's edge. He was wary, but he somewhat trusted the Preta, so he followed behind, pushing through the bushes and the trees until they eventually came to a clearing. Before him was the public pool that was fenced off with a chain link fence, the pool covered in an ugly green tarp that was covered in all kinds of tree litter and small pools of water.

"Why are we here?" Roxas asked as he picked a few leaves out of his hair.

"Because no one comes around the pool when it's off season." Demyx replied simply as they approached the fence, the Preta stopping to lean back against the fence, the metal creaking and bouncing a bit from the contact. "So, what's up? Is Axel still giving you a hard time?"

"No, not really, we're actually pretty good right now." Roxas replied as he came up beside Demyx and sat down on the ground, leaning back against the fence.

"That's good. He's a good guy once you get past all of his different faces." Demyx nodded.

"What do you mean?"

"Axel is pretty unpredictable. You can't really tell what he's up to or who's side he's on sometimes. I've known him for about thirty years and I still don't know him that well."

"How did you two meet?" Roxas had come to talk to Demyx in hope of unearthing the redhead's past so Roxas could better understand him. It had seemed that Demyx had known Axel for a while, so maybe he had said something to the sand eating Preta about it.

"Well, it was about thirty years ago east a ways from this town, out by the ports and shipyards, you know, the huge carriers with foreign exports, that sort of thing. I was hitting up a few of my favorite beaches and I was just minding my own business when I ran into him. He was sitting on top of a dune with that passive look he always has, just staring out at the ocean. When I came over he gave me this weird look, but I said hello to him anyway, being the nice person I am, after all." Demyx chuckled. "He didn't really say anything back, and that's when I started talking." Demyx sighed lightly. "I do have a tendancy to start talking...and have a difficult time stopping myself. I guess I must have been annoying him, because he started scowling at me, and thats when I was about to make my getaway. I have to admit, Axel was a little intimidating at first...I really hate to fight."

"Do Pretas fight?" Roxas asked curiously. Demyx nodded.

"Yeah, we do, we mostly use magic, but I wanna stay on topic here."

"Sorry."

"It's okay, I do that too. Finally I got frustrated and asked him if he even spoke English, because his silence and faces were starting to weird me out, I said that in a not really serious way, but I was surprised when he actually responded. He said in a really thick accent, "Very little I speak." His accent sounded European, like Russian or something."

"Um...Demyx, Russia's in Asia."

"Whatever! You get my point, he sounded funny. I wouldn't know for sure, I've never traveled that much as a Preta, I mostly stayed here in the Western hemisphere, the Americas, so I don't really know much about the East, I was really little when I left England. I guess...hm..." Demyx brought his hand to his chin thoughtfully, still stuck on what Axel's accent reminded him of. "It wasn't French...I'd definately know if it was British..."

"Italian?" Roxas took a shot at this guessing game, not having much else to do anyway.

"No...but that gave me the mental image of Axel as a mobster." Demyx laughed. Roxas laughed along with him for a few moments before they both settled down.

"Maybe...German?"

"Yeah!" Demyx snapped his fingers. "That's it, German! Yeah, it was pretty thick all right. It took me a moment to figure out what he actually said."

Roxas looked down into the grass below him, chewing on the corner of his lip absently. So, if Axel had a German accent, then he must have come from Germany, or maybe Poland. This new information only made Roxas even more curious.

"Anyway, we talked...well, I talked mostly, for a little while and I found out he could mostly understand English, but he had a hard time speaking it and putting the words together. He spoke German fluently, I guess. So I went on to teach him a little more English, and by the time we parted ways a few months later, he could speak English well, but he still had an accent. We'd cross paths every once in a while, and each time his accent was a little different, like changing into an American accent. Now his accent's totally gone, but I guess you could expect that from hanging around the United States for all these years."

"Did he ever tell you about himself?" Roxas asked cautiously. "You know, like where he came from and stuff?" Demyx blinked and looked down at the teen.

"What, has he not told you anything?" Demyx said in a surprised tone.

"No... I was hoping you'd tell me."

"Your guess is as good as mine." Demyx shrugged. "He did tell me his mother worked in a factory and his father was in the Korean War...and that he had a little sister. But that's about it."

Roxas' brow furrowed as he thought about what Demyx had said. He couldn't think of any reason what would make Axel so reluctant to tell Roxas about any of this. The timeline matched up, so he couldn't be sure if what Axel had told Demyx was a lie or not.

"Meh..." Demyx grunted as he sat down beside Roxas. "I would have figured he'd tell you more about it, since you two are stuck together like you are. But I guess he really doesn't want anyone to know about it."

Roxas sighed solemnly as he messed with a blade of grass that he had pulled out of the ground. Demyx was a little helpful, but not all that much. He wanted to know more. He wanted Axel to talk to him the way he talked to Axel, about anything, everything. He essentially wanted Axel to think of him as a close friend like he did the Preta.

"What do I have to do?" Roxas asked absently as he looked at the grass in his hand.

"Huh?" Demyx responded dumbly.

"What do I have to do to get Axel to trust me?" Roxas asked, looking up at Demyx. Demyx stared back down at the teen, and Roxas watched as what seemed like a dark cloud pass over Demyx sea green eyes as the Preta looked down at him solemnly.

"Roxas, you really shouldn't get involved with Axel like this, it doesn't matter whether he trusts you or not." The Preta said calmly with a small frown.

"Why? He's going to stay around as long as I make him so why not make the most of it?"

"He only cares about getting your hair, and he'll do and say anything to make it happen. If you really think Axel cares about you as a person, I hate to say you're mistakened."

"Don't say that." Roxas growled defensively. Surely that couldn't be true...

"I'm just telling you the truth, Roxas." Demyx's brows knitted together in slight irritation. "I know what I'm talking about, I'm a Preta too, you know. I'd bend over backwards and tell anyone anything if it meant I got fed at the end of the day because I have to. You have to believe me when I say that it's dangerous if you try to push yourself with Axel any farther than what the two of you are right now."

"How do I know you're not feeding me bullshit like you claim Axel is?" Roxas challenged, now becoming angry at the Preta's words.

"Because...just...ugh, I really hate arguing." Demyx shook his head, reaching back behind his head to place his hands on his hood, and looked back at Roxas. "Look, you'll realize what I'm saying is true someday. You're a good guy, Roxas. I can tell, you aren't like most people around here. But what goes on in our plane of things is completely different from the human way of life. You can't forget we aren't human. We may look it, talk it, and act like it, but at the end of the day it's what our stomach wants, not what we want. I don't want you to end up hurt or heartbroken, but you just might if you keep this up. If you really want to make Axel happy and trust you, then give him what he wants. See ya." With that, the Preta drew his hood over his head and vanished from sight. Roxas sat alone along the fence of the public pool, his saddened blue eyes staring aimlessly at where Demyx had once been sitting, completely dumbfounded and overwhelmed.

He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't believe it. Demyx didn't know Axel, he said it himself. He had no idea.

* * *

_Bored, bored, bored...ugh, I'm freakin' bored! _Axel groaned as he brought his arms to his face to sheild his eyes from the setting sun as he lay on the rooftop of Roxas' house, completely bored and having nothing else better to do. Why did Roxas need to have reflection time when Axel really wanted to spend time with him? He had already gone through his other options of picking at Roxas' hairbrush and shower drain and now he was at a loss of what to do to pass the time until Roxas returned so he could talk to him and tease him until he was red in the face. Roxas' blush was both very amusing and very cute, and he just loved to force Roxas into a speechless stupor with a beet red face.

However, Roxas' excuse to go out alone was messing with his head. As far as he knew, there was nothing going on with Roxas' family to make him need to be alone a while; if there was, Roxas would have told him about it. For the teen to suddenly become secretive was making him nervous. Maybe he really had scared Roxas the other day? Maybe he went too far with his ass kissing comment? Axel couldn't stand to think that Roxas didn't like him as a friend. Roxas was all he had right now. And he was willing to push past the constant pain in his stomach to share a laugh with the blonde any day. Did Roxas feel the same way?

Axel groaned and sat up, gripping his forehead as he rested it in his hand with his elbow on his knee, staring down at the tiled rooftop beneath him. It was all messed up, this whole situation was. Roxas was human. Roxas was whole, and he was empty. Roxas was pure, and he was a sinner. But despite all of that, despite everything, Axel couldn't deny what was really happening. It wouldn't bother him so much if it weren't for the fact that he was feeling the same emotions that landed him in a concentration camp in the first place. To the closed minded, it was wrong. It was unholy and taboo. It was also unnatural. But Axel knew it; He was attracted to Roxas.

"Who's there?" A monotonous voice bellowed just beneath him, causing Axel to jerk away from his position and look down into the backyard. There, standing by Tifa's withered and abused rose bushes was a hooded Preta. Axel instantly recognized the Preta as the one who had been sneaking around and stealing the rosebuds at night. But it was in the middle of the day. What was he doing here so early? The Preta had his hands clenched into fists as he addressed Axel once more. "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

"Well, I could ask you the same thing." Axel flashed a snide grin as he swinged his legs over the side of the rooftop to dangle over the side as he looked at the Preta below. "You're a bit early, don't you think?"

"If you are here for the roses, I strongly suggest that you leave at once."

"Pssh, I don't want those stupid things. You sure talk high and mighty, seeing as you only started coming around here recently. If anyone's trespassing, it would be you." Axel replied. "I practically live here, so you're on my turf." The Preta went silent for a few moments.

"I see." The Preta said calmly with a small nod. "My apologies, I mistook you for a competitor."

"Nah." Axel shrugged. "And I'd say these bushes are long dead and gone, my friend. You've ravaged it to pieces. What's your name, anyway?"

"Ah, I have yet to introduce myself." The Preta reached up to remove his hood, and as he did so long locks of cotton candy pink hair fell to his shoulders, and deep sapphire eyes looked up at Axel in a passive glance, his pouting, glossed lips drawn to a line. There was a regal sense around this man, yet he looked so feminine at the same time. The Preta gave a small bow forward with a hand outstretched to his side. "I am Marluxia."

Axel's eyes widened and he immediately brought a hand to his mouth to try to hold back a snicker. Marluxia heard the snicker and his head quickly looked up at him and frowned.

"And what, praytell, is so amusing?" The pink haired Preta asked as he stood upright.

"Your hair is...pink." Axel said quickly to keep from snickering again. His hair definately reminded Axel of cotton candy, and he was silently wondering what it tasted like. He had never eaten pink hair before. Yet, he wasn't allowed to eat off of another Preta, so it proved to be a bit dissapointing. He chalked up a mental note to go after pink hair once he was through with Roxas to see if it really tasted like the fluffy sugary treat or not.

"Yes it is, do you have a problem with that, sir?"

"No, not really. It's just...unusual?"

"As if your own locks are not peculiar at all. Such a deep crimson color...surely it is not natural."

"Believe it or not, it is." Axel said with pride. He had always taken pride in the fact his hair color was so rich and unusual. "You talk so...proper-like. Where are you orginally from, hot stuff?"

"I beg your pardon." Marluxia frowned. " 'Hot stuff'?"

"I was just messing around." Axel said with a dismissive hand. "Where are you from?"

"As a human, I was born in Sweden. I then took up residence in England during what you would call now 'the Renaissance.' I was once an actor in many of Shakespeare's finest plays all over the country. I knew the man personally as well." Axel whistled.

"Damn, you're ancient. You're the oldest Preta I've met so far." Axel said. "And you still talk that way?"

"I have made a concientious effort to maintain my dialect and accent. I am quite proud of it."

"Well that makes only one of us."

"Why is that? Where do your own roots stem from?" Axel bit the inside of his cheek and frowned.

"...Germany."

"You do not sound German at all."

"Wenigstens sehe ich wie eine Frau nicht aus.(*)" Axel said bitterly in his native German tongue, now the small glimpses of his accent showing through as he spoke. "That good enough for you, Mr. Know It All, or must I translate?"

"You are a very rude man." Marluxia replied in a slightly bitter tone as well. "I do not need any translation, I understood you clearly, and I apologize for questioning your backround. I do not look like a woman of any sort."

"I get that alot." Axel chuckled. _And you obviously have not looked in a mirror before_, he wanted to add, but he kept that to himself. He wasn't expecting Marluxia to know German, but he guessed with being centuries old there isn't much else to do but travel around and learn the different languages of the world. "By the way, the name's Axel."

"Ah." Marluxia said with a nod, though his tone still sounded a little bitter. Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of fervent barking. Axel's face lit up like a traffic light. Roxas must be home.

"Hey Pinky, it was nice meeting you and all, but I got places to go, people to see." Axel brought himself to his feet. "I don't mind you being around as long as you stick to the bushes, got it memorized?"

"Do not call me Pinky." Marluxia said flatly, but he was ignored by the redheaded Preta as he walked away to another part of the rooftop.

Axel walked the breif distance across the roof to the front of the house, and sure enough, Roxas was back. The dogs, Shelby and Rocket, were running around the teen and yipping happily, trying to get him to pet them, but Roxas seemed to be too lost in thought to care at the moment. It wasn't until he ran into Rocket who had been standing in front of him that he snapped out of his trance, looking down at the black and white border collie and giving him a small smile.

"Hey there, boy." Roxas said affectionately as he leaned down to pet the dog on the head, and he soon had Shelby nudging at his other hand, wishing to be pet as well. The blonde's smile widened as he crouched down and started petting both of them, the dogs nuzzling his arms and wagging their tails furiously. It was a cute sight, Axel had to admit, but Axel didn't like dogs. He turned up his nose and frowned every time he passed by them. He disliked dogs greatly because of his past experiences. The Nazi officers were quite fond of using German Shepherds back at the concentration camp that he had been at, so he had several bad experiences with the canines. Roxas, not really knowing why Axel hated them so much, had assured him over and over again that Rocket and Shelby were both too nice and too stupid to hurt anyone, but Axel was reluctant to listen. In fact, he disliked Shelby the most out of the two. Roxas had said she was a German Shepherd and Husky mix, but even though she was a mutt, she looked exactly like the German police dogs. She was built like one and had the markings and all, the only thing that set her apart from a purebred was the fact she was very fluffy, like a Husky, and had icy blue eyes. Axel made a point to avoid contact with her as much as possible.

"Hello down there!" Axel called out to Roxas, the blonde tearing his gaze away from his canine companions to the Preta standing on the rooftop. Axel was expecting a warm greeting as usual, but Roxas only gave him a half hearted, forced smile before rising to his feet and making his way into the house. Axel frowned, his green eyes filled with concern. Something was wrong with Roxas.

Roxas had alot on his mind. The words of warning that Demyx had said, the memories of Axel being there for him, those moments when the Preta would make his stomach do flips...was it really all just a lie? Was Axel really just play acting? It made Roxas' heart ache at the thought that this newfound friendship that he had made was nothing but a bunch of lies. Axel was the only one he knew for sure was a friend... at least until now.

When Axel had greeted him, Roxas tried to keep a straight face to keep Axel from getting concerned, but it must have failed miserably, because he saw the demon's smile fade as he walked into his home. Without a doubt, Axel would want to know what was wrong the moment he walked into his room. But was his worry genuine..?

"...What the hell?" Roxas muttered unter his breath in a surpised tone as he opened his front door, expecting to feel the sweet rush of warmth from the heater greet him at the door, but he was met with even colder air than the temperature outside. The only thing that had given Roxas solice as he walked back home was the thought of coming home to a nice, cozy and warm house. But no, it looked like Mother Nature was getting a thrill from slapping him in the face today.

His brother Sora looked up from the couch where he was sitting, covered in a plethora of blankets when he heard the door open, the brunette looking just as miserable as Roxas felt.

"Hey." Sora said irritably, though Roxas was pretty sure that it wasn't directed at him, but rather the ice box they were in at the moment.

"Why is it so damn cold in here?" Roxas hissed as he rubbed his arms, approaching Sora.

"Heater's broken." Sora said, tilting his head towards the kitchen. "Dad's outside trying to fix it, but Mom keeps yelling that he doesn't know what he's doing and he might end up blowing it up instead of fixing it."

"I wouldn't doubt it. How long do you think it's gonna take?"

"I dunno, it busted right after you left." Sora groaned as he buried his head into the blankets. "Why does it have to be so cold up North? I hate it so much, we could be swimming right now back home." He whined.

"I hear you." Roxas sighed dreamily. He could be swimming in the lake right now, his family cooking barbecue for dinner as they ate out at the dock. Roxas was missing his lakeside home deeply, and it was clear that Sora was just as upset. But they had to move because of their father's job. "Well...what do you wanna do?" Roxas asked. He was in no hurry to get to his room and confront Axel. Axel rarely ventured out of Roxas room due to the fact that the dogs were let inside sometimes, so he wasn't worried about the Preta coming to him first.

"I dunno, you wanna play the PS3 or something? T.V sucks right now, unless you wanna watch iCarly or that show with the Jonas brothers." Sora shrugged. Roxas gagged.

"No thanks. Let's go." Roxas motioned up towards the staircase before bolting it. "I got dibs on the first controller!"

"HEY! No fair, you got a head start!" Sora whined after him as he tried to untangle himself from the cocoon of blankets that he had buried himself in, but all of his flailing led to him falling off of the couch and onto the floor with a yelp. Having been freed from his trap, Sora jumped to his feet and tore after his laughing older brother.

* * *

***Tuesday Evening***

Roxas couldn't avoid Axel any longer. He stood there at his doorway, staring at his door before him, a hand on the door handle and a mind full of questions. He still couldn't believe what Demyx had said to him. He also didn't want to burst in and accuse Axel of lying to him if Demyx was wrong, but he had no way of knowing if Axel really was his friend or not. Roxas felt fear begin to rear it's ugly head as he stood at the door. He was afraid that Demyx was right; that Axel only saw him as a meal, not a friend, and that all that had happened in these almost three weeks was nothing but a bunch of acting and lies. He couldn't let that be true. He wouldn't allow it.

"I was beginning to worry you fell in the toilet." Roxas heard Axel chide as he entered the room, the Preta laying on the bed with his back against the headboard and his arms folded behind his head, his trademark grin on his lips. That one snide little comment was enough to break through Roxas' concentration and scoff at the Preta's joke.

"I was just playing video games with Sora is all." Roxas mumbled as he tried to take off his sweater, but shuttered as soon as the cold air hit his skin. He wanted to just keep his sweater on, but he knew it wouldn't be comfortable to sleep in.

"You cold?"

"Aren't you?"

"Nope." Axel shrugged. Roxas became a bit envious. He had forgotten what Axel had said the other day about being warmer than usual because of his fire magic. So Axel probably couldn't even tell if it was cold or not. "Why, is it?"

"Yeah, the heater's broken."

"Aw, poor Roxy hates the cold."

"Please stop, Axel, I'm not in the mood." The bitterness in Roxas' tone caught Axel completely off gaurd. Axel's brow furrowed as he looked at Roxas, his eyes filled with worry.

"What's wrong then?" The demon asked. Roxas didn't reply at first as he removed his sweater and tossed it to the side, shivering from the cold.

"Nothing's wrong." Roxas replied simply. He didn't want to talk about what had taken place. He wasn't going to let it bother him, and if he didn't think about it, then it couldn't be true. Axel was acting concerned about what was wrong, genuinely worried. How could Demyx accuse him of lying? Axel cared about him. He had to.

"It doesn't sound like it to me. You looked really bent out of shape when you came home earlier. You didn't even say hi to me."

"Nothing's wrong, Axel. Really." Roxas said as he quickly rummaged through his drawers for some warm pajamas to wear. He could only find a pair of black sweatpants and a white shirt, but that seemed good enough as any. Before Axel could say anything else, Roxas had already walked out the door to the bathroom to change.

_Geez, he's so self concious_, Axel rolled his eyes. _It's not like I don't already know what's there, we're both guys. _Roxas must have quickly changed his clothes, because he was back in less than a few minutes. _It really must be cold in here then._

"Okay...I really don't want to play the twenty question game." Axel said as he sighed. "What's the matter?"

"It's nothing Axel, stop asking me. I'm just really cold and like you said, I hate being cold. Now get off of my bed so I can get warm." Roxas said, his arms folded tightly to his chest while he shivered. Axel didn't move, just looking at Roxas with a frown etched onto his face as he stared at the blonde.

"Pssh." Axel finally spoke, tearing away his gaze and shrugging his shoulders as he pulled himself up off the bed. "Whatever then." He could tell Roxas was lying, but he didn't want to make things worse. Roxas didn't hesitate to dive under the covers and try to bundle himself up as much as possible. Axel trudged over to his pathetic little sleeping bag on the floor and huffed as he sat down on top of it, not feeling tired at the moment.

Despite all of his efforts, Roxas just couldn't make himself warmer. He was under the sheets and comforter, but he could still feel the cold seeping through somehow. He looked over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't exposed, but that wasn't the problem. He also knew he didn't have another set of blankets. After a few more minutes of tossing and turning around, Roxas finally gave up and just laid his head down on the pillow with an irritated growl. He was still cold, but it was bearable enough to go to sleep.

Roxas closed his eyes to drift off to sleep, but after twenty minutes had passed, he couldn't seem to do so. His body was tired, but the wheels in his mind were still turning. He replayed his conversation with Demyx in his head over and over again.

_'He only cares about getting your hair, and he'll do and say anything to make it happen.'_

_Is it true?_ Roxas asked himself. _Have I really been just running in circles this whole time? _

_'I'd bend over backwards and tell anyone anything if it meant I got fed at the end of the day because I have to.'_

Roxas opened his eyes a bit and found that his vision was blurry. He couldn't tell if it was because of having his eyes closed for so long or if it was because he wanted to cry. He didn't care either way. After trying for so long to be accepted in this new town, he finally thought he had made a friend, even if he wasn't exactly human. Axel was someone he could talk with, laugh with...hell, he slow danced with the guy. Roxas felt his stomach start to flutter again, just like it had before, but it was mixed with the sickening feeling of betrayal he was feeling at the moment.

_'If you really think Axel cares about you as a person, I hate to say you're mistakened.'_

"...Axel?" Roxas said meekly, and he could hear his voice cracking as he spoke, confirming the blurriness was due to his eyes getting misty. He reached up to rub his eyes to clear it away, wondering why Axel didn't answer him. "Axel?" Again he was met with silence. Roxas pushed himself up to look over at the window where Axel should be, having a sudden fear that Axel wasn't there anymore. His fears dissolved when he saw the Preta by the window in the corner, seeming to be very interested in whatever he had in his hands. "Axel!" Roxas said a little louder, now frustrated. Why did Axel have to scare him like that?

"Hm?" Axel replied absently before his eyes widened and the threw whatever it was he had in his hand across the room. "Huh, what is it?"

"I called you three times, moron." Roxas grumbled. "What were you looking at?"

"Nothing."

"Didn't look like nothing."

"But it was nothing."

"It looked like something, so it wasn't nothing."

"Well that something is nothing of importance." Roxas frowned, more frustrated now thanks to this pointless back and forth exchange and looked over to where Axel had thrown the item in his hand. Despite his uneasy feelings, he almost laughed at what he saw.

"You were reading one of my Shonen Jump magazines, weren't you?" Roxas challenged as he looked back at the Preta with a sly grin.

"No I wasn't." Axel said defensively. "That stuff is stupid."

"It must not be that stupid if you were reading it."

"I was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was nottttt~"

"Was toooo~"

"I was bored!" Axel caved, throwing his hands up in the air. "I wasn't tired and my stomach was hurting, alright?"

"You make it sound like I'm accusing you of reading porn."

"I'd much rather read that then whatever it is that Jump thing is."

"Sureeee." Roxas said, reaching up to brush the blonde hairs that had fallen front of his face away. Once the lighthearted banter had come to an end, there was an uneasy silence. Axel could tell Roxas wanted to say something, but he was hesitating.

"So...what did you need?" Axel asked, fingers brushing through his hair as a result of his habit. Roxas looked away from him.

"Um..." Roxas mumbled, having looked away from Axel to hide the blush that was forming on his cheeks. "I was wondering if...you know, since you're warm and all...if you could-" Roxas mumbled the last part of his sentence so quietly that Axel couldn't make out what he was saying.

"What was that?" Axel said, leaning forward. "You gotta speak up, I can't hear you when you're mumbling like that."

"I was wondering if you could..."

"Could what?" Axel asked innocently, yet a devilish grin was creeping up upon his thin lips. The way Roxas then covered his red face with his hands only confirmed his suspicions. "You want me to sleep in the bed with you, don't you, Roxy?"

"I-I didn't say that!"

"But it was what you were going to say, wasn't it? Hmmmm?" Axel contained the laughter that was itching in his throat, watching Roxas go red like he usually did. It was so funny. And yet, very adorable. Roxas only nodded his head weakly. Roxas wanted to ask Axel for two reasons; he wanted to be close to Axel, to maybe give him some form of reassurance for his worries, and because he was freezing cold and he couldn't stand it anymore. Maybe Axel's body heat would help, in theory. Axel didn't hesitate at all. He was up and in the bed before it could even register in Roxas' mind that he was in the bed.

"Ahhhh at last!" Axel sighed dreamily as he wrapped his arms around a pillow and buried his face into it. "It feels so nice~"

"You wanna take your shoes off so you don't get dirt in my bed?" Roxas said flatly.

"Yes sir." Axel said jokingly as he pried off his boots. Roxas became a bit curious when the Preta didn't make a move to take off his trenchcoat. Axel must have noticed that Roxas was staring, because he gave the blonde a shrug. "I don't mind sleeping in it. I can't really take it off, anyway."

"Why?"

"You know, you ask way too many questions." Axel said as he ruffled the teen's hair, feeling a few loose strands get caught in between his fingers. As he pulled his hand away, he brushed it off onto the nightstand beside the bed to save them for later. He wasn't going to waste any morsel that he could take. "Just go to bed and I might tell you about it tomorrow."

Roxas only nodded. Axel wasn't even under the covers, but he could feel the Preta's heat radiating off of him like it had done before when they had danced together. It made Roxas shutter, feeling the cold starting to melt away from his form, but he wanted to get warmer faster. Roxas tugged at the covers, and Axel slipped under them beside the blonde, laying on his back.

"Does it matter to you how I sleep? I don't move very much and I promise I don't snore." Axel chuckled.

"Not really..." Roxas replied, still feeling flustered, but also feeling much more releived. If Axel didn't care about him, would he really have agreed to come in the bed with him?

"Okay then." Axel said with a small yawn before turning over, his back facing the blonde. "Goodnight then." Roxas frowned a little as the Preta turned over. In the back of his mind, Roxas was hoping Axel would have faced him so he could maybe, just maybe, come a little closer to feel Axel's warmth. Axel also wanted to face the teen as he slept as well, but he wasn't sure whether it would bother Roxas or not. He may like Roxas, but he didn't think Roxas felt the same.

Several minutes passed in silence, neither of them saying anything or trying to close their eyes to go to sleep. Roxas lay there, staring at Axel's back, wanting to scoot just a little closer to his makeshift space heater. Axel nuzzled his face into the pillow a little, thankful that Roxas was allowing him to sleep in the same bed, but he really wanted to be able to face him and reassure whatever it was that was bugging him. He hated to see Roxas upset. Just as Axel was going to let go and try to drift off to sleep, he suddenly felt something icy cold press into the back of his exposed calf.

Axel hissed through clenched teeth and looked over his shoulder, and was about to say something along the lines of 'what the hell, Roxas?', but he quickly changed his mind after what he saw. Roxas, the chilled, upset blonde, was clinging to his back, his cold feet pressed upon Axel's exposed calf as he had his head buried into the demon's back. Axel couldn't really tell if Roxas had his eyes open or not, but Axel couldn't help but smile a little. If Roxas wanted to be that close, why didn't he just say so? _Probably because he gets so flustered that he's speechless_, Axel thought to himself as he laid his head back down on the pillow with a small sigh. As much as he wanted to turn over, he figured that he could just keep it this way for the night, and if Roxas would allow him to sleep in the bed again tomorrow, he'd try it then.

Roxas clinged to Axel, his eyes shut tightly, unwilling to look Axel in the eye when he felt the Preta turn over to look at him. He was expecting Axel to shoo him away, but he was both surprised and relieved when Axel didn't. To Roxas, it was this shining moment that he awaited to see if he would be rejected by Axel or accepted. Surely if Axel was acting, he would be uncomfortable with this? Roxas felt like he should be, but he wasn't. His stomach was doing it's fluttering thing, and he was feeling a little more at ease. Axel was here, and he wasn't rejecting him. Demyx had to be wrong about Axel.

He just had to be.

* * *

_**I had someone say to me a while ago "I was so looking forward to when they would sleep in the same bed!" TADA! hehehehe...**_

_**(*) Fairy's ring- a ring of mushrooms. Pembroke Corgis (a breed of dog) were once said to be born in fairy rings because they were the fairy's steed, based on an old European legend. **_

_**(*)Thanks to google translator (Yes, I'm that lame, and I don't care) it means "Well at least I don't look like a woman" in German. Axel doesn't seem to talk that much in German, does he? But what reason would he, really, unless he was just trying to piss Roxas off? Meh.**_

_**Namine's name will be corrected once I get my new laptop. Thanks to all of my readers for being patient with me and reviewed, you guys rock mah socks. My toezie socks, to be exact. They're rainbow colored. Yeah. Rainbow socks. **_

_**Review? :3 **_


	9. Axel's Scheming Again

_**A/N: ANOTHER ONE? AND AT 2 am? YOU BET YOUR ASS! I'M TIRED AS HELL. BUT I FELT LIKE WRITING ANYWAY. So take that.**_

_**A little something for you music junkies out there; Heaven Can Wait by We The Kings is/was the main theme and inspiraton of this story. Now, ONWARD! *falls flat on her face snoring.***_

* * *

***Week 3, Day 22, Thursday***

Axel yawned loudly as he felt himself slowly begin to awaken from his slumber, reaching up to rub his eyes with his left hand before opening them slowly. For a breif moment, he didn't realize he was still in Roxas' bed until he felt the blonde behind him shift and grumble a little in his sleep as a result to Axel's movements. Axel looked over his shoulder to see Roxas curled up behind him like he had for the past three days, his face nuzzled into his backside. Axel could only smile at the sight before laying his head back down with a soft sigh. He was greatly enjoying this contact with Roxas, but he still wasn't sure whether or not Roxas really was comfortable with facing each other, and the possibility of Axel snaking a hand around his waist in the midst of sleep. As much as he wanted to, Roxas hadn't said anything about it, so he wasn't going to push the envelope. He was pretty sure that he was only going to stay in the bed until the heater had been fixed, and Roxas wouldn't hesitate to banish him back to the cold hardwood floor. Unsure of what time it was, he closed his eyes again, hoping to catch a little more sleep.

_ZZZZZTTT! ZZZZZZTTTT! ZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTT!_

Well, so much for that idea. Roxas groaned groggily as he came away from the Preta, his hands fumbling around blindly for the alarm clock to shut it off, but it was sitting on the night stand beside Axel, so Roxas was having a little difficulty trying to reach it. Axel went ahead and pushed the snooze button, the blonde's arm going completely limp over Axel's arm as he heard a muffle snore come from the pillow behind him. The first set of alarms. It was going to be a little longer before the fuzzy, cranky beast behind him would turn into the silly little Roxas that he knew. Axel just buried his face into the pillow, his hand already positioned over the snooze button as to press it again when the time arose, aware that Roxas essentially had his arm around the Preta's shoulders, but at the moment, he was stunned by the first alarm to really care all that much.

Once the second set of alarms rolled around, Axel quickly slammed on it, Roxas' arms starting to flail around again in search for the alarm clock, and once again ceasing once Axel had stopped it. This time, he heard a barely coherant "Thanks" being mumbled into his back, to which he replied with an acknolwedged grunt. A few minutes later, Axel's stomach decided to wake up as well, welcoming the morning with a big, gurgly growl that made the Preta cringe. Roxas, who was still half asleep, thought that it was the alarm and started flailing his hand again to turn it off for the last time. Axel snickered at Roxas' confusion.

"You are definately not a morning person, are you?" Axel asked as he turned his head to look at Roxas out the corner of his eye.

"No. Turn it off." Roxas replied groggily.

"I hate to inform you that that wasn't your alarm clock, it was my stomach."

"Make it shut up." Roxas sleepily demanded.

"I can't really do that." Axel grinned. "You have to feed me first."

"You are such a baby." Roxas grumbled as he withdrew his hand away from Axel to rub his eyes and face to try to wake himself up.

"It's way too early to try to pick a 'nuh uh' 'yeah huh' arguement with me."

"I actually slept very well, so I can do whatever I want."

"You must have, because the back of my coat is wet from you drooling all over it."

"Really?" Roxas' eyes shot open as he looked at Axel's back.

"No, I was kidding." Axel snickered into the pillow. Roxas rolled his eyes and started to climb out of the bed to get ready for school when the real last set of alarms went off, to which Axel quickly put a stop to and shut off the alarm. He was about to go take a shower until the sound of Axel calling after him stopped him. "Hey, Roxas, can I ask you something?"

"What?" The blonde said over his shoulder as he rummaged through his closet.

"I was kind of curious..." Axel said, turning over to lay on his back and take up the rest of the bed himself. "Once the heater's fixed, are you going to make me sleep on the floor again?" That was a good question. Roxas stopped his rummaging and looked down at the floor. In truth, he really didn't want Axel to stop laying in bed with him. His presence being so close to him had made him feel comfortable and safe. He didn't think he could really go back to sleeping in it without his 'space heater.'

"I guess...if you don't want to, you don't have to."

"Really?" Axel said, his tone sounding a little eager.

"Yeah..."

"Awesome." Axel purred and grabbed a pillow in each hand and mashed them to his face. "It feels like Christmas."

"Merry Christmas then?" Roxas laughed a little as he walked out of the room towards the bathroom to take a shower. Beneath the pillows, Axel smiled. If it really had been Christmas, he would have asked for something better; for Roxas to like him as much as he liked Roxas.

* * *

"Alright...settle down everyone." Mr. Ienzo called out to his homeroom class, who was busy talking amongst themselves as usual. It always took several warnings before they would finally settle down and pay attention. Roxas had been talking with Olette, but the two finally had to cut their conversation short and Olette had to go back to her desk. Roxas had been sitting at his desk, and because it was still frostbiting cold and school's heating systems always never worked, Roxas had bashfully asked to sit in Axel's lap keep him warm, and the Preta was more than happy to comply. Of course, to those around Roxas, it didn't look like he was sitting in anyone's lap, but just sitting in his chair normally. Roxas was leaning forward a little, although thankful for Axel's warmth, he was still a little embarrased about asking him such a thing. Axel had no concern at all; he had exchanged his heated lap in exchange for messing with Roxas' hair during class, since the blonde was running late to school and had no time to brush his hair throughly.

"Finally." the slate-haired English teacher sighed softly to himself as he pushed the bridge of his thin glasses up from where they had slipped on the tip of his nose before addressing his students. "I am sure that you are all aware of the rumors of a new student in our midst. I am pleased to inform all of you that we have indeed recieved a new student, all the way from Canada." There were a few muffled whispers and 'oohs' from the students.

"So there really is a new kid, huh?" Axel muttered as he dragged his fingers through Roxas' hair gently.

"Apparently." Roxas whispered, keeping his eyes forward and only using one word answers as to not bring attention to himself. He had asked Axel not to talk to him during class, but it didn't seem like the Preta cared all that much. Roxas watched as Mr. Ienzo looked over to the door of the classroom and motioned someone inside. After a few moments had passed by, a girl walked in slowly, her hands folded neatly in front of her as she walked in, her eyes downcast towards the ground to avoid everyone else's stares. She stopped beside Mr. Ienzo's podium that he used for his lessons, and which he was currently standing behind.

"This is Miss Xion Lumsden." Mr. Ienzo announced. "She will be joining our homeroom class and I am confident that each of you will treat her with utmost respect and kindness."

_That's the same thing he said when I came at the beginning of the year. So much for that 'utmost respect,' _Roxas scoffed in his head. Xion looked up to meet everyone's gaze, her lips slowly curling into a small, meek smile. She had short black hair and she wore a simple black turtlneck and blue jeans, nothing flashy about her appearance at all. Roxas was surprised by this. He felt a little sorry for her, almost certian that she would be casted away by many just because of how simply she dressed, but he thought it was quite appealing to her. Whether she turned out to be mega popular or as withdrawn as he was, he had this weird feeling that was compelling him to get to know her. Or perhaps it was just because she was looking at him with her deep blue eyes, almost the same color as his own.

Axel wasn't liking the way Roxas was gawking at her, not one bit.

"She looks funny." Axel said, completely disinterested.

"Don't be so mean." Roxas muttered under his breath as he looked to the side, not turning to look at Axel but was still trying to get him to be quiet.

"Miss Lumsden," Mr. Ienzo said, looking over to Xion and then pointing towards the empty desk beside Roxas. "You may take your seat beside Mr. Roxas Grimm over there. He is fairly new as well, perhaps you two could get to know each other." Xion looked at the teacher and gave him an acknowledging nod before quietly making her way to the desk pointed out to her, still not looking anyone else in the eye. Roxas watched as she came and sat down beside, him, staring down at her desk blankly while Mr. Ienzo began to take roll and make a few announcements before first period started.

Roxas looked back towards the teacher and waited for his name to be called, but Axel sat there with his bright green eyes still locked on the new arrival. His brows knitted together as he looked at her. Xion lifted her head just a little and looked Roxas way before looking back down at her desk. Axel began to feel uneasy, because right as she looked at Roxas, he could have sworn that she looked his way too. If she did, she didn't see anything of interest. In fact, she just seemed so distant, so blank...just odd. There was something weird about Xion, and Axel didn't like it.

* * *

"Ugh, I'm starving!" Hayner groaned as he threw open the doors that led from the cafeteria to the outside, the 'usual spot' already scoped out as Roxas and Pence followed, the three making their way towards a shady oak tree where they always came to sit and eat their lunches, as long as weather permitted.

"You should be, you were a beast in PE this morning." Pence grinned as they all came to sit down under the cool shade.

"Where is Kairi and Olette?" Roxas asked, looking over the two boys already tearing into their lunches in search for them, but he was also keeping an eye out for Xion too. He had already made the decision that if he saw her again, he was going to invite her to sit with them at lunch. It was the least he could do; he knew what being the new kid was like.

"I dunno, and who cares?" Hayner said as he swallowed. "It's finally just us guys, you know? Don't have to listen to them giggle about Twilight and Glee for a while. I get sick of hearing that shit."

"Hey! I like Glee!" Pence said defensively. It figured, because Pence was both in the school band and chorus. He swears it's only for that trip to Disney World in February every year, but Roxas knew that Pence really liked being in band and choir. Even though he wasn't the best singer in the world, but he had to admit he was alot better than Axel. The thought made him chuckle and shutter.

"Then you're a fag."

"Do we have to bring up your stupid little PokeWalker again?"

"Don't even go there."

"Then take that back."

"Fine, whatever, you aren't a fag, geez." Hayner rolled his eyes.

"Hey guys!" Roxas heard Kairi's voice call out to them, and the three boys looked up to see Kairi and Olette walking towards them, with who Roxas recognized as Xion tagging along behind them. He smiled as the girls approached. "Is it okay with everyone if Xion joins us?" Kairi asked, looking at the boys. "She needs somewhere to sit."

"Yeah yeah." Hayner said dismissively. Roxas only nodded.

"Sure." Pence replied, looking past Kairi's shoulder and giving the black haired girl a smile. "Gotta warn you though, Hayner's got a temper and Roxas talks to himself, but if you're cool with that then you should make it through lunch alive." Pence yelped when Roxas gave him a sharp jab in the side.

"I don't talk to myself." Roxas hissed at the chubby brunette.

"It's called joking, Roxas." Hayner laughed, and everyone else laughed as well. Roxas even saw Xion giggle a little. _Wow, great first impression,_ Roxas groaned to himself as he rolled his eyes. The girls finally took their seats, and Xion sat inbetween Kairi and Olette.

"So, you're from Canada, huh?" Hayner asked Xion with a mouthful of sandwich.

"Hayner that's disgusting." Kairi turned up her nose. "Chew your food before you talk."

"I wasn't talking to you." Hayner shot back after he swallowed his food, turning his attention back to Xion.

"Yes, I'm from Canada." Xion said softly, making Roxas blink. He hadn't heard Xion say a word until now.

"So do you speak French? I hear French people live in Canada too."

"No...unfortuately I only know English. I'm not French."

While the rest of them began to ask the dumb questions that people usually ask a foreigner, Roxas began to space out and get lost in his own thoughts. When first period had begun earlier in the morning, Axel seemed to be grumpy. After a little while, the Preta just up and left and told him he'd be back later. Roxas didn't know what the problem was, but he had a guess that it had to do with Xion somehow. Roxas was miserable when Axel left, mostly because his warm and comfy seat was now cold and hard, and he was still cold sitting outside with his friends, but they didn't seem to mind it all that much. He was also miserable because whenever Axel was gone, he started thinking about what Demyx had said again.

Roxas and Axel had been sharing the same bed since Tuesday due to the malfunctioning heater, and the Preta kept sleeping with his back turned to Roxas. Roxas wondered why Axel made an effort to sleep this way. Whenever he did, he got upset, so he tried not to think about it too much.

"Roxas?" the sound of his name interrupted his thinking, and he looked up to see all of his friends and Xion looking at him.

"Huh...? Oh, sorry, I guessed I spaced out." Roxas chuckled a bit nervously, scratching his head a bit. "What were we talking about?"

"About how dashingly handsome I am." An all too familiar voice echoed in Roxas' right ear. A quick look to his right...yep. It was Axel, sitting right beside him with his legs crossed, his chin propped up with his hand in Roxas' direction, grinning from ear to ear. "Did'ja miss me?"

"I've been so heartbroken." Roxas whispered sarcastically, rolling his eyes a bit as he smiled. Axel was back now, so he felt a little more at ease. It just felt weird if Axel wasn't there with him. He picked up his orange juice to take a drink, and then looked back at Kairi. "Sorry, what did you say, again?"

"For the third time, I asked if you finished the Chemistry lab report that's due tomorrow." Kairi said, a slender brow upturned. Roxas gave her a nod.

"Yeah...but, it's due today, Kairi...next period." It was a miracle he had it finished in the first place. Every time Roxas tried to take a break from working on it, Axel would go behind his back and switch around the numbers in his data tables, and in some places replacing them with random words and sentences such as "Megatron" and "The cake is a lie! :) Blonde cake, yum." It took Roxas almost 3 hours longer to finish it because he had to go back and correct whatever Axel had screwed up, and many tickle wars and pillow flinging fights were had on that day. Kairi's eyes grew wide as she gasped.

"No way!" Kairi gasped, looking over at Olette helplessly. "Olette, we have to go finish it! We'll flunk the semester if we don't!"

"But I haven't finished eaten yet..." Olette said quietly, and then looked over to Xion. "And we can't just leave Xion here by herself..."

"What, you think we're going to eat her or something?" Hayner laughed loudly.

"Shut up, you are such an asshole sometimes!" Kairi growled at the camo clad teen before looking at Xion with apologetic eyes. "Xion, do you mind if me and Olette go for a little while? We'll see you right after lunch, I promise. And don't mind Hayner, he really is just all talk."

"It's alright." Xion replied with a small smile. "Do what you have to do."

"Thank you!" Kairi said while Olette quickly gathered up her tray and dashed away to catch up with Kairi, who had bolted after thanking Xion for pardoning them.

"Bye!" The three males said in unison, and Xion gave them a small wave. Axel looked at Xion and scowled. Roxas saw this and slapped the Preta on the shoulder roughly while the other three weren't looking, resulting in a small cry from him. Axel had been looking at Xion like that since they met her, and it was really pissing Roxas off. Axel was looking at her the way others had looked at him in the past, and he didn't want Xion to fall victim to what he's had to experience.

"What was that for?" Axel growled a little as he rubbed his abused shoulder.

"What is your problem?" Roxas whispered under his breath tersely, cutting his eyes over to the redhead. "There's nothing wrong with her, leave her alone."

"I wasn't doing anything." Axel huffed, folding his arms. "Even if I was, you barely even know her, why are you defending her?" Roxas narrowed his eyes at the demon before grinning devilishly.

"I think you're jealous of her."

"What?" Axel exclaimed with wide eyes. "I am not jealous! She just looks weird and acts weird and just...she's weird, Roxas!"

"You are too jealous."

"Am not!"

"Who's jealous?" Pence asked cautiously, startling Roxas.

"See, we told you he talks to himself." Hayner snickered. Roxas felt his face go red with embarassment and gritted his teeth as he threw Hayner a menacing glare. Axel turned his head away from the blonde, unwilling to admit that, besides the fact he had an odd feeling about Xion, he actually was feeling a bit jealous. From the way Roxas was looking at her and smiling when he didn't even know her, he would have guessed that Roxas liked her in the same way he liked Roxas. Well, Axel was not going to have that. He wasn't going to lose to some Canadian chick, not by a long shot. His Preta territorial instincts were starting to kick in, but it wasn't food he was fighting for. Roxas was his best friend, his only best friend, and as long as he was alive and breathing, that wasn't going to change.

Hayner and Pence quickly scarfed down their food and were itching to take one last look at their lab reports as well (actually, it was only Pence who wanted to check over it, Hayner didn't care if he failed or not.) and left in a similar fashion to Kairi and Olette. This left Roxas and Xion sitting alone with each other (plus Axel) in an awkward silence. Xion was silently eating what looked like a salad while Roxas nibbled on his sandwich, not really sure of what to say. Axel was glaring at Xion intensely, hoping that if he stared long enough, she would magically dissapear or something of the sort. Now, he _could_ make her burst into flames if he wanted to, but that would just be wayyy too messy, and it would mean no nice fluffy bed or dinner for...well, forever. But he was supposed to be repenting for his sins, not commiting any more of them.

"Her hair looks so oily I bet it would set on fire if I touched it." Axel thought aloud. This caused Roxas to slap him again, this time behind the head. He would have yelled at Roxas for hitting him again, but he was distracted with what Xion had done when he spoke; she cringed.

_No way,_ Axel thought to himself anxiously as he ruffled his hair when Roxas had smacked him. _She can't see me, it's impossible. I can tell her mind's eye isn't open, and I sure as hell don't want her to see me. _

"Is something wrong, Xion?" Roxas asked, having noticed the cringe. Xion looked up at Roxas, a little surprised that Roxas was concerned about her.

"No, I just got a bit of a chill is all." Xion reassured him. Roxas chuckled.

"Well I'm glad that I'm not the only one who thinks it's cold here."

"Oh, it gets much colder where I am from."

"I would guess so..." Roxas chewed on his lip anxiously. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yes."

"I know you're from Canada and all...but you don't really sound Canadian to me..."

"Why?" Xion grinned. "Because I don't say "aye" after every sentence?"

"No, that's not what I..." Roxas rubbed the back of his neck as he sighed. "Well, yeah. I don't mean to sound mean though..."

"Don't worry, I don't mind. Pence had asked me that earlier but I guess you weren't paying attention then. I'm not actually a native Canadian. I was born in Vermont and lived there until five years ago, then my family moved to Canada." Xion explained, setting her tupperware container down on the ground. "I'm staying with relatives while I go to school here."

"That sounds cool."

"I heard you were new before I came here. Where are you from?" Xion asked.

"South Georgia."

"Wow, you've come a long way."

"Eh, not as far as you I guess."

_What's with this stupid chit chat,_ Axel groaned in his head. _Just go ahead and leave already! I'm hungry, a Preta's gotta eat too. _He was about to get up and leave until Xion stood up.

"Well, I'm finished, so I guess I will be going." Xion said with a smile. "It was nice talking to you, Roxas."

"Same here." Roxas nodded. "Hey, if you aren't doing anything after school, do you want to come with Hayner, Kairi and all of us to the pharmacy for some ice cream?" The smile on Xion's face widened further.

"I'd love to. See you then!" She replied as she turned and walked away with a wave, which Roxas waved as well. Axel finally heaved a sigh. They were alone at last!

"Ahh, they're finally gone." Axel said, rolling his shoulders.

"What's with you?" Roxas said, his demeanor totally changing as he turned to Axel and frowned. "You're acting like such a dick for no reason."

"Why would I act like one when I already have one?" Axel challenged with a cheshire grin. Roxas scoffed and turned his attention back to his sandwich. Axel always had to turn something into an innuendo.

"What kind of sandwich is that?" Axel asked with slight distaste at the sight of an orange looking substance seeping out of one side of the sandwich as Roxas took a bite.

"Pimento cheese." Roxas replied with his mouth full. Axel chuckled.

"Pimento cheese? Ew, no wonder it looks so nasty." Axel scoffed, but the sight of watching Roxas eat in front of him was making his own stomach start to twist and groan.

"Well, have you ever tried it?" Roxas asked, his brow perking a bit as he took another bite.

"I couldn't even if I wanted to." Axel leaned back against the trunk of the tree, bringing his hands to rest behind his head. "But honestly, I wouldn't eat that cat vomit if it was the last thing to eat in this entire universe." Cue the untimely roar of Axel's stomach, his small grin contorting a bit to that of discomfort. Roxas winced a bit at the sound, but then smiled as he swallowed again.

"Your stomach seems to have a different opinion."

"I know, he can be so out of line sometimes." Axel replied in a slightly sarcastic tone as he gave his stomach a pat. "Poor thing, he thinks I actually give a crap about his opinion."

Roxas laughed at Axel's display, the sound of the blond's laughter causing the Preta to smile a bit himself. It was only recently that Axel had heard Roxas genuinely laugh, and to say the least, Axel thought that Roxas had a very nice laugh. He liked it most when he was the one that caused it.

After Roxas had calmed down a bit, he took his sandwich and tore it down the middle, offering it over to Axel.

"Here, why don't you try some?" Roxas asked sincerely. Perhaps if Axel found something else he liked, preferably something else edible, then the demon would be able to eat something less...unappetizing. Axel's smile faded as he looked down at the sandwich for a moment, and then looked back up at Roxas, his brows upturned and a disheartened look on his face.

"Roxas..." Axel spoke softly, his tone calm but serious, something that Roxas had not heard from the Preta in all of his time he spent with him. "If I really had the choice to eat something else besides hair, believe me, I would have already taken it."

"Come on, it's not that bad." Roxas said, rolling his eyes a bit. "Just take a bite and see if you like it." Axel frowned, the teen clearly not understanding what he was talking about, and shook his head slowly.

"...Watch." Axel replied simply as he took the half of the sandwich away from Roxas. Roxas' eyes grew wide as he watched his sandwich instantly disinegrate in Axel's palm, degenerating into nothing but dust that fell in between his fingertips and onto the ground they sat upon. After the sandwich had completely disinegrated, Axel turned his palm ot the side to empty out the remaining dust out of his hand before looking up at Roxas. "Do you see now?"

Roxas just sat there, staring at the ground where the dust had fallen. Axel had said Pretas hungered over one certian thing, but he didn't think that meant that he literally couldn't eat anything else. Immediately, pity washed over him. How horrible it must be to watch any other food completely vanish before your eyes, reducing to nothing but dust, reminding you of your sentence. It was a very disheartening feeling. He wondered how Axel had been feeling during his stay with Roxas, when he had watched Roxas eat real food while he was reduced to picking out hair from a plastic hairbrush. He had no doubt that Axel probably remembered what a hamburger or pasta tasted like, and it was those tastes of the past that probably haunted him.

"Hello in there?" Axel snapped his fingers in front of Roxas' face, causing him to blink back into reality. Axel smiled half heartedly. "Are you really that upset about losing part of your sandwich?" He probably should have just told Roxas than show him, but he figured that the blond wouldn't have believed him.

"No.." Roxas shook his head a bit as he picked up the apple on his tray, instinctively twisting the stem off of it. "Just didn't know that you couldn't eat anything else...that really must suck."

"Eh," Axel shrugged, placing his hands back behind his head. "I'm just glad it only turns to dust for me. I've heard from other Pretas that if they try to eat anything else, their throats actually catch on fire. I think I got a good end of the deal, personally."

"Still." Roxas bit into the crisp gala apple, another sharp pain stinging Axel's stomach once more.

"...You don't have to act so pitiful about it." Axel furrowed his brow, partially from the pain. "This is normal when it comes to my kind, I came to terms with it a long time ago. There's no point in being so down about it when I'm not." A grin suddenly flashed upon his thin lips."Aw, does little Roxy care about _my _well being? I never thought this day would come." Axel added in a fake sniffle for good measure.

"Shut up." Roxas turned his head away to hide the slight blush that was creeping up on his cheeks, tinging his peachy skin a pale pink. Axel chuckled as he reached out to ruffle Roxas' hair, a gesture that had become the norm for him. He had stopped complaining about Axel doing that a while ago.

"Hey...Roxas?" Axel started to say, and Roxas seemed to know what he was about to ask judging by how Axel's fingertips continued to masssage his scalp.

"Yeah, yeah." Roxas replied, sighing a bit as he moved from where he was sitting beside Axel to sit in front of him. "Just don't be so rough like you were last time, I swear I was bleeding."

"No problem." Axel smiled a bit as he reached out to coil his other arm around the teen's waist, drawing him closer, Roxas being caught off gaurd when he felt the redhead draw him close enough that the blond was practically laying against his lean chest, long fingertips gently combing through his golden colored hair as his other hand rested in Roxas' lap. Roxas could feel Axel's breath against the back of his neck slightly as he exhaled, causing him to shutter a bit, hoping that the shutter wasn't noticeable to Axel, who was currently just running his fingers through Roxas' hair without much intent on getting anything, though Roxas didn't know that. He liked touching his soon-to-be meal, but he also just liked to touch his hair because it gave him an excuse to be close. When Roxas leaned into the embrace a little more to keep warm, it only made Axel smile.

* * *

By the time school had let out for the day, it got warm enough that Roxas didn't need to wear his sweater anymore. He stood outside the gate of the school with Pence and Kairi, waiting on their remaining friends to join them so they could go to the pharmacy together. Roxas was hoping that Xion would show up so he could get to know her better, and treat her the way he had wanted to be treated when he arrived this past fall.

Meanwhile, Axel was hanging around out of earshot in one of the magnolia trees, his arms folded at his chest as he leaned against the trunk of the tree, watching Roxas and his friends talk. Axel liked to be around Roxas as much as possible, but he figured that he should let his Thursday afternoon ritual remain with his human friends without much interfearance. The only reason he was still here was because Roxas had asked Xion to join them, and he still had a bad feeling about the female. Not only did he think that she was out to get Roxas' affection, but there was something abour her aura, her being in general that didn't seem right. Whenever she had spoken to Roxas or anyone else, she seemed to be completely normal and alert. Yet when she was alone or not being spoken to, she had this empty, distant look in her eyes that only he seemed to notice. He wanted to be sure that Roxas was safe.

He watched as Hayner and Xion came to the gate and had a breif exchange with the three waiting at the gate before they began to walk. Axel's brows furrowed in curiousity. Where was Olette?

"The nurse said that she was getting a cold, probably from this cold weather we've been having lately." Xion explained to the rest of the group as they passed under the tree that Axel was currently sitting in. His ears perked in interest as he continued to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Damn that sucks." Hayner said. "She always gets sick so easily, I'd hate to be in her shoes."

"So I guess she isn't coming today?" Roxas asked Xion. Xion shook her head in reply.

"She had to leave early to go home. At least that's what I heard."

"Oh well, I guess she'll miss out today then!" Hayner snickered, that being the last amount of the conversation that Axel could hear before they dissapeared into the distance. Axel sat in the tree, mulling over the conversation that he had just heard. Suddenly, his face lit up like a light bulb when an idea struck him, a mischevious grin curling on his thin lips.

_So Olette is sick, huh? _Axel asked himself keenly. _It looks to me like she's going to make a quick recovery before they know it._

* * *

_**What is Axel planning? o.o**_

_**Okay, so this chapter was going to be REEELY long, but I decided to shorten it into chapters 9 and 10 because...I wanted to. Muahahahahaha. Sorry for the slight repitition for my earlier readers, but the bit with the sandwich was very important.**_

_**I am not a Xion hater. Xion is one of my favorite characters. You're just going to have to see what happens, because I'm not explaining the method to my madness! *insert evil laugh here.***_

_**At the rate I'm going, I wouldn't be surprised if I got chapter 10 done sometime today (Its freakin 2 am!) GOODNIGHT! *dives into her bed to cuddle with her leafeon pokedoll.* Dammit I love this thing.**_


	10. Yes Man

_**A/N: Another late night update...I have no idea what's wrong with me. I am so dang tired...such a long day...**_

_**But in any case, you are reeealllyyy gonna like this chapter, I know it! I know it! *giggles***_

**_I'm pretty sure I spelled armoir wrong...but I'll correct it in the morning when my mind isn't foggy from fatigue._**

* * *

When they had made it to the pharmacy, Roxas and company had already gotten their orders and they were being passed out by Kairi's grandmother. Everyone got their usual, but Xion sat at the bar beside Roxas, unsure of what she wanted to get.

"I'm sorry," Xion apologized to Kairi's grandmother for being so indecisive. "I'm a bit of a picky eater, and I don't eat ice cream very often, so I wouldn't know what I would like..."

"It's alright sweet pea," the elderly woman said kindly. "Take your time."

"Can I suggest something?" Roxas said after swallowing the last mouthful of his sea salt ice cream.

"Yes, what do you think is good?" Xion asked, looking over at Roxas.

"Try some sea salt ice cream. It's my favorite."

"What does it taste like?"

"It...well..." Roxas scrunched his brows together, trying to come up with the proper description. "It tasts a little salty at first...but then it's really sweet, kind of like salt water taffy, if you've ever had that before."

"Oh, I know what you're talking about then." Xion said with a nod. "I'll have what Roxas has."

"Coming right up." Kairi's grandmother said, turning her back to the pair for a few moments before turning back and handing Xion the light blue frozen treat on a slender wooden stick. Xion grasped the stick gently and took a cautious lick. Her face puckered a little before she smiled.

"Wow...this tastes good." She mused.

"See, I told you so." Roxas smiled.

"I can't see how you guys eat that stuff, it tastes so nasty." Hayner chimed in.

"No one asked for your input." Roxas said over his shoulder, receiving a muffled grunt in reply from Hayner stuffing ice cream into his mouth.

Roxas suddenly heard the bell over the shop door jingle, glancing over to the door for just a moment to see who it was, at first not seeing much. His eyes widened in surprise as he did a double take.

"Olette?" Roxas blinked in surprise. Sure enough, Olette was standing at the doorway with a big smile on her face and waved to the group quickly.

"Hello everyone!" Olette twittered. "I hope I'm not too late!"

"Not at all." Pence chuckled. "So I guess you're feeling better?"

"Hm?" Olette blinked dumbly, as if she didn't know what Pence was talking about.

"You know, you got ill and had to go home early, remember?"

"Oh yes!" The girl replied with a nod. "I feel alot better, thank you."

"Well come on and get your ice cream, we're almost ready to go." The smile on Olette's face faded at Pence's statement, now not looking so sure of herself. Roxas was feeling a bit skeptical. He knew that Olette got sick easily too, and it usually took her much longer than just a few hours to get well. She also loves ice cream and wouldn't hesitate to get any. What was wrong?

"That's all right, I think I'll pass for today." Olette said, walking down a ways to take a seat right beside Xion at the end of the bar.

"You? Skip on ice cream?" Hayner's eyes widened. "Holy shit, I think the world is coming to an end."

"Well...I...uh..." Olette stammered, her eyes darting around the room and avoiding everyone else's gaze. "My stomach still hurts a little, but I didn't want to miss out on hanging out with my friends." Olette smiled, content with her reply, before giving Xion an acidic look, her tone quieting down to a dull whisper. "You know, the friends I've known for years? Meaning not you?"

"Excuse me?" Xion said, her slender brows furrowing. Olette had been so nice to her earlier. What happened to that? But Olette only laughed and waved a dismissing hand.

"I was only kidding!" Olette laughed loudly, the sound of such a laugh now really making Roxas uneasy. He wasn't the only one; Hayner, Pence, and Kairi were exchanging weird glances with one another as well.

"Aaaanyway..." Hayner drawled, drawing everyone's attention away from Olette and to himself. "So did you guys get your prom invitations yet?"

"Yeah, I got mine this weekend." Roxas replied numbly, fiddling with the stick of his ice cream between his fingers. "I don't think I'm going to go though."

"Why not?" Kairi asked, her blue eyes widening in shock. "Prom is one of the most important parts of the high school experience!"

"So I've heard," Roxas grumbled to himself before shrugging. "I dunno, I just don't know if I want to fork out the cash to go this year. Maybe my senior prom, but I'm not sure about this year...besides, I don't know who I'd want to go with..." he added bashfully.

"That's easy!" Kairi declared. "We can all pair up and go as a group!"

"Oh boy, here we go again." Hayner rolled his eyes and Pence heaved a sigh, signaling that the two were not interested in the conversation at all.

"Think about it, we have three guys and three girls now, right? Besides, it'll make things alot less weird if we all went together. You know, I could go with Hayner, Olette can go with Pence, and Xion can go-"

"I want to go with Roxas!" Olette exclaimed, completely interrupting Kairi and making everyone else gasp a little as once again, Olette stole the limelight. Roxas' jaw shot open, completely caught off gaurd with Olette's proclamation, his face starting to get red. Olette blinked innocently once all eyes were on her. "What? If we have to be paired up, I want to go with Roxy! Besides, I've known him longer than Xion. I should get to choose first, right?"

"Olette, what the hell is wrong with you?" Hayner growled a little. "And don't you think that's kind of mean to say when Xion is sitting _right there_? And what the fuck, 'Roxy'?"

"It's all right..." Xion said quietly, looking down at the counter top. "She does have a point..." After a few moments, she looked up to Roxas, whose mind was still reeling. "What do you think Roxas?"

"W-what do I think?" Roxas stammered, still trying to grasp the concept that he had two girls battling over who would go to prom with him. It was so sudden and so weird, he didn't know what to do about it. He looked at Xion, then to Olette, who was leaning over the countertop and giving him a flirtatious grin. Wait a second...he recognized that smile from somewhere...and the way she had called him Roxy? Roxas' eyes flooded with realization once he had placed the pieces in his mind together. He then faked a very sincere smile. "I think Olette and I should go for a little walk, if that's all right with you, Xion. It's a little too early to be talking about prom anyway, so I'll get back to you guys on it, okay?"

"Sure." Xion replied, smiling back at the blonde.

"Oooooooh, Roxas wants to talk to Olette alooooneee~" Hayner teased, making kissy faces. Pence started to laugh very hard, pounding his fist into the counter. Kairi only gaped, still trying to process what had just happened. Since when did Olette have a crush on Roxas? And why didn't she tell her about it? Olette had alot of explaining to do later via text message!

"Oh I would _love _to!" Olette twittered in a sugary sweet tone that made Roxas want to gag. He quickly rose to his feet and grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her along with him out the door as quick as he could. Hayner and Pence looked at each other with wicked grins.

"Damn, he really wants to get down and dirty already!" Hayner howled, and Pence joined in on the howling laughter until both of them were hit over the head by a very pissed off Kairi.

"Will you both shut up and stop thinking with your second heads for once?" Roxas heard Kairi yell at the pair before he and Olette made it out the door, the door jingling as they did so. Olette was giggling like crazy while he dragged her along a little ways, and once they had come up to a side alley, Roxas pulled Olette into it by the wrist and pushed her up against the wall with a menacing scowl on his lips.

"Wow, so_ forceful_," Olette cooed as she batted her eyelashes. "I didn't think we'd get this far so quickly, and out in public, too."

"Cut the crap, I know what's going on." Roxas spat. "You really suck at acting like a girl, Axel." Olette's face twisted into a surprised expression, her eyes beginning to cloud over and become misty, and for a split second, Roxas had feared that he had made a grave mistake. Suddenly, Olette started to laugh uncontrollably.

"So you saw right through me, huh?" The imposter cackled, her voice no longer sounding like Olette's, but Axel's true voice. "I hated that it ended so soon, I was having fun. And the way you manhandled me a few seconds ago?" 'she' shuttered and grinned perversely. "Gave me the chills."

"Like I said, you really suck at acting like a girl, let alone acting like Olette. What the hell was all of that about?" Roxas hissed, drawing away from the Preta who was still disguised as Olette. "And could you please do whatever you gotta do to stop looking like that? It's starting to creep me out."

"Only if you calm down and stop yelling." Roxas wanted to yell even louder for asking such a thing, but he bit his tongue, literally, to keep from doing so. He'd rather get answers then pick a fight. Axel chuckled once more. "Good boy. Now hold on a second." With a snap of 'her' fingers, Olette was engulfed in a flash of flames, startling Roxas and making him take a few steps back instinctively, and once the flame vanished as quickly as it had appeared, Axel stood before him in his normal form; tall, spiky headed, and thin as always.

"Okay, before I start chewing your head off, I have a question." Roxas declared, throwing up his hands at the Preta. "Since when are you able to shapeshift into other people? You never told me you could do that."

"Correction," Axel held up a knowledgable index finger while his other hand brushed out his trenchcoat. "I _did_ tell you Pretas can use illusions, and that is one of them. Instead of using possession like real demons and such, we can use illusions to change our appearance into someone else for a certian length of time."

"So where is the real Olette?" Roxas said tersely with his arms folded at his chest. Axel shrugged.

"I dunno, probably at home where she's supposed to be. I didn't touch her. Don't interrupt me yet." Roxas grumbled under his breath, making Axel chuckle. "Like with any other magic, it's energy consuming." Axel heaved a sigh, scratching the back of his head. "It was hard to do that and make it to where you and your friends could see me too. I'm bushed." He then proceeded to a slightly overdramatic yawn. "Okay, now the explanation is over, go ahead and start yelling."

"Well first...wait, you don't tell me when I can and can't yell at you!" Roxas growled.

"I think I just did."

"Axel..! Just...ugh!" Roxas seethed, clenching his eyes shut and taking a few deep breaths, exhaling loudly before looking back up at the Preta, who was leaning back against the wall and was very interested in his fingernails all of a sudden...even though he was wearing gloves. Smart move. "Axel," Roxas said calmly, the redhead looking up at him at the sound of his name. "Don't play games with me anymore. I don't care if you have pride issues with this or not, I want you to tell me the truth. What is wrong with you today?" Roxas asked the last sentence in a very stern tone, his colbalt eyes locked on Axel's. Axel blinked, a little surprised at his tone, before looking away and sighing softly in defeat.

"I know the way I handled it was probably not the best idea in the world," Axel said. "But I only did this because-"

"You don't like Xion. I could figure that much."

"Will you stop interrupting me?" Axel's gaze snapped back at Roxas. "I'm trying to explain myself here, unless you want to do it for me."

"Sorry, whatever. Continue."

"Yeah, I don't like Xion." Axel deadpanned, getting that out of the way. He really didn't want to admit to any of this, but he could tell Roxas was not amused with his charade earlier and he didn't want to anger the teen further. "And you were right, I am a little jealous of her."

"Why? There isn't really anything for you to be jealous about..." Axel groaned and held his face in his palm. Was Roxas really going to make him do this?

"Because you were treating her very kindly for no reason, all right?" Axel said, trying to beat around the bush as much as he could. He hoped that Roxas was one of those types of people that couldn't take an obvious hint unless it hit him like a pickup truck. "And you didn't exactly roll out the welcome mat when I showed up, you get what I'm saying?" He also felt like there was something wrong with Xion that he had to protect Roxas from, but he didn't want to worry Roxas with something like that at the moment.

"That's because Xion doesn't want to eat my hair." Roxas replied flatly. Axel wanted to smash his head against the wall for coming up with such a miserable excuse. Roxas let his arms grow lax and rest at his sides as he gave the Preta a solemn look. "Look Axel, if you're thinking I was being nice because I like her, you're wrong." Axel's eyes grew wide, but he quickly hid his enthusiasm, yet he was happy enough to let himself to a little victory dance in his head. "I haven't even known her for a full day, and I don't even know that much about her. I was being nice to her because..." Roxas sighed a little, he too feeling a bit embarrased for admitting something he would much rather keep to himself. "When I came here in the fall, almost everyone treated me like crap. It was only Hayner and the rest of them that were nice to me, but they didn't start talking to me until a month after school began. That first whole month in school was hell without someone to talk to or hang out with, it really was. I didn't want the same to happen to Xion, you know? I know how it feels to be the odd one out, and judging by how meek she is, she would get pushed around here easily. Do you see where I'm coming from here?"

Axel nodded slowly, now feeling like a complete jerk for how he had acted earlier. He couldn't really help himself, his instincts had kicked in, and he couldn't think coherantly once that happened. He had thought Roxas was starting to become attracted to her, but he was only protecting her from what he had endured; in a way, he was finding closure for what had happened to him. Axel was completely taken aback with the truth. For Roxas to do such a thing was so...admiringly noble.

"I understand." Axel replied solemnly. "Sorry about that...I guess I should have known better, huh?"

"You're damn right." Roxas said with a dry chuckle, now feeling a little sorry for Olette. "I guess Olette is going to have alot on her hands tomorrow...she's not going to know what happened."

"I'm sure I didn't cause too much damage, right?" Axel shrugged a little with an uneasy smile.

"Yeah, at least you didn't try to kiss me or whatever."

"Why? Did you want me to?" Axel teased, narrowing his eyes at the blonde. "I could easily arrange that, you know." _Dammit, why didn't I think of that? _Axel scolded himself. The look on Roxas' face when he imagined himself doing it back as Olette in the pharmacy was completely priceless. He hated when good ideas came much too late. But then again, the way Roxas' cheeks were quickly turning red with a twisted, indescribable contortion of his lips at the moment was amusing too.

"I-I didn't mean it like that!" Roxas hissed through his flustured demeanor.

"Oh, look at you turning so red!" Axel cooed teasingly. "Does Roxy have a little crush on Olette?" _He better not, because I'm seriously joking._

"No, I don't." Roxas replied with a frown before looking away from the taunting Preta. The shame that overcame Roxas' features made it very clear how Roxas felt about Olette to Axel.

"Could it be that..." Axel began cautiously, knowing all too well that he was treading in very deep waters with tons of sharks and killer giant squids and other really scary ocean dwelling creatures. "You don't like girls at all, do you?" Axel finished with a small grin, his taunting outwardness containing the nervousness that Axel truly felt within. Right now, he knew his question was going to make or break how things between them were going to be like from here on out. Roxas was silent at first, debating whether or not he was comfortable enough to answer Axel truthfully.

"Well..." Roxas said anxiously, fiddling with the lower hem of his shirt. "I wouldn't say I don't like girls at all. I just...haven't really met a girl that I could really say I really 'liked' like that." The blonde was praying that this little piece of information that he had long kept to himself wouldn't make Axel judge him any more or less.

"Really?" Axel said in a symathetic tone of voice, yet all he really wanted to do was pump his fist in the air in victory. This meant that he actually might have a shot. Teenagers these days liked to experiment anyway, right? "Well, that's alright I suppose. I'm not going to judge you for it, we're friends, remember?"

"As long as you don't try to pull something like that again, then yes." Roxas replied, feeling relieved that he was able to get that off his chest. He knew if he had said that to anyone else but Axel, they would immediately ridicule him for it.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on it." Axel said as he pushed himself off of the wall. "It's been a really long time since I've done something like that, and it took alot more energy than I thought it was going to. I'm used to only letting one person see me at a time. Any more is just too stressful for me."

"Good." Roxas smiled a little, still somewhat upset with what had happened, but Axel had sincerely apologized, so he figured that was all he really needed to do. He did know he was going to have some explaining to do the next day, however. At least he wouldn't have to explain himself to the hobo that had been sitting across the street, wondering with wide eyes what the hell the blonde teen was doing screaming at a brick wall.

* * *

***Week 3, Day 23, Friday***

Roxas hated his Chemistry teacher with a passion. He really, truly did. His teacher, Dr. Vexen, had been having a miserable day (more miserable than usual) and randomly decided that they would have an entire chapter's worh of homework to do, plus a pop quiz on it the following Monday. So instead of going out and doing something fun, he was spending his Friday night on his bed with his Chemistry textbook and notebook, groaning and whining to himself about how much he hated this class and how much his teacher sucked. He was so old and crusty and just...not fun.

"Hey, Roxas?" Roxas heard Axel call for him, the frustrated teen looking up at the doorway to see Axel poking his head through the entrance.

"Not now, Axel. I'm busy." Roxas replied irritably, flipping through the pages of his Chemistry book to find the answer to one of the homework questions.

"On a Friday night? Come onnnn, Roxas." Axel exaggerated the latter of his statement, rolling his eyes.

"What, do you have any better ideas?" Roxas asked, not looking up from his textbook.

"Actually, yes, I do."

"Like what?"

"You know Sora's gone, right?"

"No, I didn't, actually. I'm not my brother's keeper. But thanks for sharing." Axel frowned at Roxas' reply. Getting Roxas into a lighter mood wasn't going to be easy, but he was going to try nonetheless.

"That means his room is empty."

"No way, really?" Roxas gasped sarcastically. "Are you trying to make a point or are you just pointing out to me everything you see?" Roxas didn't want to be mean to Axel, but he really wanted to get finished with this Chemistry homework so he could do whatever he wanted, including spending time with Axel.

"Well..." Axel paused for a moment, ruffling through his own hair anxiously. "I was just wondering if you wanted to, I dunno, watch a movie or something." Roxas' eyes widened, not expecting that sort of thing to come out of Axel's mouth. His stomach did flips as he looked back up at the redhead standing in his doorway, feeling the littlest sense of excitement bubbling inside of him. Before he could question himself why he was getting so excited, he immediately became wary.

"Is this some kind of trick?" Roxas asked cautiously.

"No," Axel chuckled. "I was just thinking about how grumpy you were and I wanted to try to lighten the mood with a movie. Since Sora isn't home, we can watch it on the TV in his room." Roxas made a face and looked down at his textbook and notebook before him. He really wanted to watch a movie with Axel, surprisingly. He really, really did.

"But what about my homework...?"

"Come on, you have all weekend to do it," Axel scoffed. "It won't kill you to put it off to tomorrow."

"Yeah, but-"

"Pleeeeaaassseeee?" Axel whined, batting his long eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Oh my god. Don't ever do that again." Roxas stifled a laugh, bringing his palm to his lips.

"Why not?"

"Because you looked totally gay just then."

"Why yes, I'm feeling oh so _FABULOUS_, thank you very much." Axel cooed in the most flaming voice Roxas had ever heard in his life as he batted his hand towards the blonde. Roxas stuck out his tongue and gagged, grasping at his throat.

"You're killing me here, Axel."

"Now now, Roxas," Axel shook his finger at the teen and entered the room to approach him. "I can't have you dying on me. I wouldn't have anyone to bother. And I don't eat off of the dead, that is just nasty."

"You could pester Sora in my place?" Roxas offered.

"It just wouldn't be the same." Axel faked a sniffle. Roxas couldn't hide his amusement any longer, and began to laugh. The sound of Roxas' laugh was almost contageous, the redheaded demon chuckling along with him. They both knew that they had their share of difficulties with one another, but both of them always enjoyed these kind of moments together when they could just laugh at and with each other, all barriers seperating the two of them coming down. To Roxas, at times like these, Axel wasn't just some unfortunate soul sentenced to a life of repentance. He would often forget that Axel was even a Preta at all. But the reality always settled in when he would realize that only he could see and communicate with Axel. He sometimes found himself wishing that Axel was human, so that they could talk together in public without Roxas receiving judgemental stares, and maybe even eat ice cream at the pharmacy together.

"So do you want to watch a movie with me or not?" Axel asked once the laughter had died down.

"I really want to..." Roxas sighed longingly. "But I have to finish this, I don't want it to tie down my weekend."

"Wrong answer." Before Roxas could realize what was happening, the Preta had lunged forward and grabbed Roxas around the waist, hoisting him over his shoulder with ease. Roxas yelped in surprise as he suddenly found himself upside down, looking into Axel's back.

"Hey! Let me go!" Roxas demanded, beating on Axel's back with clenched fists, fighting for his freedom.

"Not gonna happen." Axel replied, turning around so quickly that it made Roxas dizzy, ceasing his pounding on Axel's back breifly. "This is an intervention. I'm saving you from yourself."

"I don't need saving!" Roxas grumbled as he started his beating again. "Let me go or I'll scream."

"That's not going to accomplish much, seeing as you're the only one who can see me." Axel said matter of factly as he carried away his prize out of Roxas' room. Roxas huffed and tried to flail his legs around wildly, but Axel quickly wrapped his arm around the limbs firmly to cease their action. "Quit wiggling, Roxas. You act like I'm taking you back to my bat cave to do unspeakable things to you."

"I wouldn't doubt it." Roxas groaned as he let his arms go limp, defeated.

"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all." Axel chuckled evily as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his free hand, and Roxas' eyes almost popped out of his head.

"You can't be serious."

"Maybe I am. But that's an adventure for another day. It's movie time."

"I bet you don't even have a bat cave." Roxas grumbled under his breath. He meeped when he was slapped in the lower thigh.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"I thought so." Finally, they had made it into Sora's bedroom. The lights were turned off, but Axel quickly flipped it on before depositing his 'victim' on Sora's bed, which seemed to be much smaller than Roxas'. The room was about the size of Roxas, but much messier by a long shot. The bed was in the farthest corner of the room, with a white armoir across the room that contained the TV and several different gaming consoles.

"So what are we going to watch?" Roxas asked as he pushed himself up off of the bed and began to rummage through what he thought was DVDs that were sitting to the left of the TV inside it's white wooden armoir. After flipping through a few of them, he realized they were an assorted collection of video game discs, and moved over to the pile sitting to the right of the TV, then finding the DVDs that he was looking for.

"I don't know, I don't watch that many movies." Axel shrugged as he eyed the baseball themed bean bag blob sitting in the corner of the room. "Wow, obsessed much?"

"Sora _really_ likes baseball." Roxas said absently as he flipped through several DVDs, not really seeing anything in particular of interest. "What kind of movies do you like...?"

"I honestly haven't seen that many to know what I like and don't like. Surprise me." Axel approached the bean bag chair, tugging at it to bring it over in front of the TV. This bean bag 'chair' should be called a bean bag 'couch' or something, because it was huge. He could see what Roxas meant when he had said a week or two ago that Sora sometimes fell asleep on the piece of furniture. Axel had never sat in a bean bag before, and now was a good time as any to try it out.

Roxas finally got tired of flipping through the loose discs and closed his eyes, settling on the idea of randomly choosing one for them to watch. He flipped through a few of them clumsily before slamming a finger down on one of the discs, claiming it as the tool of their entertainment for the night. When he opened his eyes to see what the movie was, he saw the words "Yes Man" written in bold black sharpie on it's blank surface. Roxas tried to recollect what the movie was about. All he could really remember about it was that Jim Carrey was in it, so he figured it had to be funny.

"Holy shit." Roxas heard Axel gasp behind him, and he looked over his shoulder to see the demon being partially digested by the bean bag chair, his arms and legs sticking out beside and beneath him at odd angles. "This is definately not what I was expecting."

"It's huge, isn't it?" Roxas laughed at Axel's awkward situation. The Preta grunted as he tried to lift himself up, but any attempt to place his hands on it, they would sink into the beaded surface. After struggling for a few more minutes, Axel huffed and finally gave up.

"It looks like I'm not getting up any time soon." Axel resigned to his fate. Roxas continued to laugh as he turned on the TV and worked his magic to get the DVD player set up. Setting the disc inside the player, Roxas pushed it shut, grabbed the remote and then skittered over towards the door to close the door and turn off the light.

"What are we watching?" Axel asked over his shoulder, a bit embarrased about being eaten alive by a bean bag...thing.

"Yes Man." Roxas replied as he walked back over to stand beside the bean bag. "It's funny, it has Jim Carrey in it. He has to say yes to everything he does or something, I don't remember. So..." Roxas' eyes darted around as he tried to scope out somewhere to sit. "Where am I supposed to sit?"

Axel didn't reply verbally, because he knew it would result in an aimless arguement, and he didn't feel like getting into another one of those. Instead, he resorted to just showing Roxas. He reached out and grabbed the teen's hand and pulled him downwards, Roxas making another one of his weird little noises in surprise as he was pulled down into the Preta's lap. Roxas slid into his lap, which was angled backwards slightly due to the odd position that Axel had flopped into the bean bag to begin with, halted once the blonde's back was against his chest. Axel smiled slightly as he rested his hands at the sides of Roxas' thighs, not wanting to go much farther until he knew if Roxas was comfortable with this or not.

"Is this good enough?" Axel asked a flustered Roxas. Roxas swallowed thickly. His immediate reaction was to pull away, but once again he was trapped by Axel's all too inviting body heat. Though the heater had been fixed, he couldn't bring himself to pull away.

"Sure..." Roxas replied meekly, glad that the darkness of the room and the fact that Axel was sitting behind him concealed the blush on his face. He hated that Axel knew how to make him so bashful, but there wasn't much he could do about it. For now, he just pressed the play button and let the movie unfold before them.

During the film, there were moments of laughter, Axel asking odd end questions about the characters, and Roxas rolling his eyes with a groan every time Axel said something along the lines of "He seriously needs to get laid" every time the main character acted like a prude. They both gagged and howled in disgust once he was forced to say yes to an old woman coming onto him. If there was anything they could agree on, it was that that part was the most disturbing thought ever to be concieved. Sometime during it all, Axel was able to sucessfully weave his arms around Roxas' waist, drawing him in a little closer. Roxas didn't object when he had done so, so he figured his 'Friday Night Movie' plan was working. After the credits began to roll, Roxas was assuming that it was late, because he was feeling very tired.

"That was...interesting." Axel said, a little unsure of what to make of the film.

"It was alright..." Roxas yawned softly. "Liar Liar was better."

"Pssh, you're such a critic."

"I'm just sayin'." Roxas rubbed his eyes and groaned. "I really don't think either of us is going to make it out of this bean bag tonight." During the movie, the bean bag chair was slowly drawing them in even farther, and now Roxas was certian that even he couldn't get out properly and keep all of his limbs.

"Then let's just sleep here, then. I don't care all that much, it is kind of comfortable." Roxas gave a small nod before laying his head back, letting his eyes drift to a close. There was a small silence between them before a thought struck Roxas.

"I wonder what it would be like to have to say yes to everything." Roxas thought aloud. The concept of the movie was good, and Roxas was curious what would happen to his life if he began to say yes to everything that happened to come his way.

"There's only one way to find out." Axel said, poking Roxas in the stomach a little. "I challenge you to be a Yes Man for one day."

"Just one day?" Roxas asked, looking over his shoulder. "Why just one day?"

"Because I don't think you can do it for much longer than that."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"I bet I can last longer than a day!"

"Prove it to me then. Starting now, you have to say yes to everything, no matter what it is." Axel challenged. The moment the sentence slipped between his lips, he had a most wonderfully delicious idea.

"You got it." Roxas said with a challenging grin. "Try me."

"Okay then..." Axel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. His stomach was growling...no, screaming for him to ask for all of his hair. This was the perfect opprotunity to do so. Axel knew it, and the thought was making his mouth water. But using his mental strength, he managed to restrain himself to ask what he really wanted to know. Cautiously, of course. "Will you watch another movie with me tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Roxas scoffed. "Come on, you can do better than that."

"Will you not finish your homework at all this weekend?" Axel asked. Roxas' brow furrowed as he weighed his options. Dr. Vexen was going to tear his head off for not finishing his homework...but perhaps that one little zero might lead to something good.

"Okay."

"Will you tell Xion she's as ugly as a rotten bananna?"

"Axel!" Roxas yelled offensively.

"Okay, okay! Tell her she smells funny, then?" Axel rolled his eyes. "You can be nice about it."

"...Fine." Roxas replied in a slightly less confident tone.

"Will you give me a kiss?"

"Ye-...What?" Roxas gasped, his eyes growing wide as he looked back over his shoulder at the Preta. Was Axel out of his mind?

"You heard me," Axel grinned devilishly. "Will you kiss me?" Roxas could have died right there from his blood boiling out of shyness and the fact all of the blood in his body was rushing to his face. He sat there with his jaw slightly agape, his stomach doing backflips and other acrobatic stunts. It was unlike anything Roxas had ever felt before. "...I...I-"

"Nope, you can't make excuses!" Axel said. "Now answer me."

"...Kiss you?" Roxas managed to squeak.

"Yes. On the lips." Axel tapped his lips gently. "Just once, just a little one."

"...You're not making fun of me, are you?"

"You think too much." Axel said, flicking the blonde in the forehead. "Just shut up and say yes already. Or are you too chicken?"

"I am not a chicken." Roxas frowned. Axel leaned in closer, making the teen shutter and bite his lip as the redhead's breath ghosted over his lips.

"Then prove it." Axel whispered teasingly. Roxas swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat as his blue eyes wandered downward to Axel's lips. His mind was racing, unable to think very clearly, and he hesitated. This shouldn't be happening. Axel was... well did it even matter anymore? There was alot of reason that Roxas could think of that would deter him from doing this, but they all seemed to become moot as he stared at the other male's lips. Much to Roxas' surprise, he realized that, in truth, he kind of wanted to kiss Axel. He couldn't explain why, but he knew he wanted to, just a little bit. He shook his head a little to try to clear all of the rambling thoughts, trying not to think too much like Axel had said. Before he could hesitate again, Roxas leaned in and planted a very gentle kiss on Axel's lips, his hands shaking out of complete nervousness. He tried to keep his mind from panicking when he felt Axel return the gesture in a soft, chaste kiss. As the warmth of Axel's lips upon his began to engulf him, it felt as though the heat was slowly melting away Roxas' flustering thoughts and silencing them, and Roxas found himself starting to relax. But this newfound relaxation was short lived, because Axel pulled away before he could relish the feeling.

"See? Now that wasn't so bad." Axel chuckled with an innocent smile. "Well, I don't know about you, but I think that's enough for today."

"You..." Roxas murmured softly, coming out of his trance, and then his brows scrunched together as he realized what had just happened. If he didn't know any better...he'd say Axel planned this whole thing.

"Aw, is Roxas speechless?" Axel said teasingly, tilting his head to the side. "How cute."

"...Nuh uh, I am out of here." Roxas exclaimed, trying to lift himelf up to make a getaway back to his bed and away from Axel's taunting. That wasn't what he wanted right now, not when he was confused out of his mind.

"Oh no you dont." Axel grabbed Roxas again by the sides, making him cringe, and pulled him back down on top of him and curling his long arms around his waist firmly, preventing Roxas' escape. "If this thing ends up eating me, you're coming with me."

"You were making fun of me." Roxas said in a mocking hurt tone.

"No I wasn't." Axel said with a smile, hugging the blonde to him and nuzzling his face into Roxas' golden locks, a gesture he had not done since very long ago. "You are just really cute when you're all flustered and speechless like that."

"I am not cute." Roxas said in an offended tone. If Axel was going to be like this, he could at least call him something a little more masculine then 'cute.'

"Would you rather me call it adorable?"

"...Good point...wait, I am not having this discussion with you."

"It looks like we are."

"Shut up and go to sleep." Roxas grumbled as he turned his head to face away from Axel, unwilling to admit that deep down, he really hated that it had ended all too soon, but Axel could see it through Roxas' reluctance. This revelation made Axel smile from ear to ear as he laid his head back into the bean bag chair.

"Yes sir." Axel chuckled softly, letting his eyes drift to a close.

* * *

_**Aw... Poor hobo man. So very confuzzled**_.

_**YAY! Teh moment you've all been waiting for! The first kiss! So cuuuute. Hehe.**_

_**Another late night entry...my back reeely hurts. I probably have something I wanted to say here, but I am much too tired to remember it right now... I miss my bean bag couch... *snore***_

_**Oh yeah...review please? *falls asleep again.***_


	11. I'll Choose For You

_**A/N: I am so tired... meh. Yet another chapter that I have to shorten! I try to keep my chapters about 8k, because I think any longer is a bit too much. But you can probably expect another chapter sometime late tonight, actually. Or tomorrow. Who cares, it's an update, right? **_

_**Thank you all of my awesome reviewers! I love you all. *heart***_

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* * *

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***Week 3, Day 27, Tuesday***

_Roxas couldn't breathe. He coughed and choked on the breath hanging in his throat, his eyes watering from the smoke. He crawled out of his bed and fell to the floor weakly, hearing the roar of angry flames of fire outside of his bedroom, the smoke having seeped in from the crack from the bottom of his door. He knew he couldn't go out his door with the flames waiting for him outside, so he staggered over to his windowsill, hissing when he reached to grasp the metal knobs at the bottom that were hot from the room's blistering temperature. He jerked and pulled with all of his strength, but he could only do so much before his arms went limp and he began to cough and wheeze once again. _

_Roxas was about to give up the second time when he saw someone running outside his window. He mustered enough strength and pain tolerance to pull the window open half way and stick his head out._

_"Hey! Help!" Was all Roxas could manage to croak out before he was consumed with another coughing fit. He couldn't recognize the person that had tried to make a getaway from his yard. It was a man, from what he could tell, wearing a tattered and soiled white saggy shirt and pants, and he had not a single hair on his head. The man had stopped with a jerk at the sound of Roxas' voice, and he breifly looked over his shoulder, and Roxas felt a glimmer of hope swell in his chest before contoring into horror. The man's face was so sunken in, it looked like only a skull with eyes and chapped lips. The stranger only stayed put for a moment before taking off again._

_"No, wait! I'm trapped in my-" Roxas screamed in terror as the floor suddenly gave out from under him, cracking beneath him and giving away to darkness. Roxas' arms flailed and he grabbed on to the edge of what remained of the intact floor, desperately trying to pull himself up, but the smoke that was filling his lungs was robbing him of strength and conciousness. He felt something grab his leg, and he looked down to see something equally terrifying. Beneath him swirled a murky grey and green abyss, with the faces and bodies of crying and mourning souls reaching out to him, a hand having arisen from the murky smog and grabbed onto his ankle, giving it a jerk. Roxas almost lost his grip, grabbing onto the side of the floor tighter and trying to kick his foot free, but to no avail. _

_'Beware of the waters you tread...'_

_Roxas could feel himself starting to slip out of conciousness, the hand beneth him still holding onto his ankle firmly. He was about to resign to his fate until he felt himself fall backwards, his surroundings going dark. He clenched his eyes shut for a breif moment before opening them again, and this time he could see he was in a dimly lit room with what looked like showerheads above him hanging from the ceiling. The lights flickered ominously above him, and Roxas turned his head to the side to try to get a look at where he was, too tired to bring himself to stand. The floors and walls were cement, with an iron door that didn't look like it was going to be let open any time soon._

_'Meddling with affairs beyond your comprehension...'_

_"Ready for a shower?" Roxas heard a voice call from somewhere in the room, and Roxas managed to lift his head up slightly in the direction of the voice. Cowering in the corner of the room was a small child, a girl about the age of 9, tears falling down her dirty cheeks, completely nude. It was in this event that Roxas realized he too was nude, but he was much too tired to worry about that at te moment. _

_"W...W-who...?" Roxas tried to speak, but his throat was burning something fierce._

_"That's what they said..." The child whispered through her stifled sobs. "Time for a shower...all of them are gone...h-he said he would watch Gretel for me..." Who was Gretel? Who was this little girl?_

_'Roxas...'_

_"...Where am I?" Roxas finally managed to croak, such a small sentence leaving him winded. The little girl stifled a gasp and looked up at him with watery eyes filled with terror as the shower heads above them began to spew with liquid. Roxas felt the water hit him and roll down his face, but when he licked a small droplet that had seeped between his lips, it tasted extremely bitter, unlike any water that he had ever tasted._

_'Roxas...'_

_"It's time for a shower, they said!" She cried, her small hands gripping her bald head. "I want Gretel! I want my brother! Where is my brother? He said he would watch Gretel for me! He doesn't know what she likes for supper!" Her sobs suddenly quieted as she looked at Roxas, slowly bringing her hands down over her knees. "Do you know what Gretel likes to eat for supper...?"_

_"No..." Roxas breathed, unable to hold his head up any longer, feeling his mind becoming hazy and his breath become shallow. His eyes closed, surrendering to the darkness that tugged at his very being._

_"...Strawberries."_

* * *

"Roxas!" Axel said a little louder, trying to pry the teen that had his arms around his waist in a death vice grip that threatened to snap him in two any second. Axel groaned, his efforts to push Roxas away not serving to be the proper solution. As a last resort, he began to tickle the blonde's sides. "Come on Roxas, you're killing me here, seriously." Roxas growled loudly and jerked around as the Preta tickled his sides, being brought out of his fitful slumber. Extremely upset and frazzled, the blonde slapped Axel's arms roughly, pushing the redhead away from him.

"What the fuck, Axel?" Roxas hissed, wrapping his arms around himself protectively as he kicked Axel in the leg.

"Ow! Don't kick me, I was just trying to keep you from snapping me like a twig!" Axel replied defensively, returning the kick with a kick of his own into Roxas' shin.

"You could try waking me up by shaking me like a normal person!" Another kick.

"I _tried_! Several times, actually, but you only kept hugging me tighter, and yelling at you didn't help either!" A slap on the arm.

"Well you didn't have to tickle me!" Roxas lunged at the Preta like an animal in rage, kicking and slapping wildly. Axel met each attack with his own, blocking it and managing to curl his knees to his chest and push Roxas off of him with his foot, the blonde landing with a yelp beside him, stunned. Axel took advantage of the situation and sucessfully straddled Roxas' lap, pinning his flailing legs beneath him and then pinning his wrists down at his sides. Axel had won.

"Get off!" Roxas hissed in a groggy fury.

"Remind me to never wake you up in the middle of the night." Axel said thoughtfully, making a mental note of it. Unless he wanted to be mauled by an angry fuzzy blonde ball of doom and destruction, that is. "And I'm not letting you go until you take a chill pill and calm down."

Roxas grumbled in what seemed like jibberish to Axel, then taking a deep breath and letting his hazy blue eyes draw to a close. He held the breath for about three seconds before exhaling loudly, all of his tense muscles growing lax. Roxas slowly opened his eyes, now feeling a little more composed and sane, but still tired all the same. Roxas did not like being woken up early. At all.

"Feeling better?" Axel asked.

"A little." Roxas replied tiredly, though he still had a look of fear on his face like he had when he was asleep just minutes ago.

"Good. Now that you can hear me clearly, I'm sorry I had to tickle you, but you were squeezing me so hard that I could barely breathe. I had to do something before you nearly killed me." Axel blinked. "Well, not exactly kill me. You can't kill me. But you get the idea."

"Oh..." Roxas said quietly, his mind now clear and able to recollect the disturbing nightmare that he had just had, and was completely unaware that he was hurting Axel in the process. Roxas could feel a chill go down his spine as he remembered the haunting cries that had come from the child in his dreams. This was actually the third time he had had this nightmare, the first time being on Sunday, then Monday, and now today."...I'm sorry."

"It's alright." Axel sighed softly. "Let me guess, another nightmare?" Roxas only nodded sheepishly as he turned his head to the side to avoid Axel's gaze. "Why won't you tell me about it?"

"Because...it's not important."

"That's what you keep saying."

"Because it isn't, alright?" Roxas sighed irritably. He didn't want to get Axel involved over some petty nightmare that didn't really matter. Though there was one part of the dream that was irking at him. "But I want to ask you something."

"Yes?" Axel said, releasing his grip on Roxas' wrists and sitting upright, still straddling the teen's lap.

"Do you know anyone named Gretel?" Axel's brows furrowed as he crossed his arms at his chest, contemplating the question that Roxas had asked. After a few moments of silence, Axel shook his head.

"No, can't say I do. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"Nothing, really. Now, could you please get off? It's kind of uncomfortable." Axel wanted to reply with a smartass remark, but he could tell that Roxas wasn't in the mood for it. Though he kept saying that everything was fine, Axel could clearly see the fear in his cobalt blue eyes from whatever the subject of this nightmare was about. He really wished that Roxas would tell him about it, but then again, he too was keeping something particularly gruesome from Roxas as well, so he figured that the odds had were even between them. He settled with crawling off of Roxas and laying back on his side of the bed on his side, facing Roxas and extending his arm towards the still stunned teen.

"Would this be better?" Axel asked casually. Roxas bit on the corner of his lips a little and debated with the idea. He had been wanting for Axel to sleep facing him for a while now, but now that the time had come he was unsure of himself. He was still in conflict with his emotions after the somewhat forced kiss they had shared this past Friday, and this here wasn't helping in the least.

"You're thinking too much again~" Axel teased in a sing-song voice.

"I can think as much as I want to." Roxas muttered.

"Then I'll make the choice for you." Before Roxas could reply, the Preta's arm curled around his waist and drew him in closer, feeling his face flush in a huge blush as Axel tucked him under his chin, his warm body heat making Roxas shiver from it's inviting touch. He had to admit, this was a lot better than he had imagined. With Axel's arm around him, he began to feel more at ease, and his remaining tense muscles slowly started to relax and his mind was clearing itself of the images of the nightmare. Roxas knew he would be a pile of flustered goo if Axel started teasing him for this, but at the moment he didn't seem to care all that much. Much to his surprise, Axel didn't try to say anything at all, but rather brought his hand to rest on the side of Roxas' arm, his thumb gently rubbing the top of his arm reassuringly. The kind touch only calmed Roxas further, and slowly the blonde began to drift off into a more peaceful sleep. Axel only smiled and quickly followed suit.

* * *

"But soft...what light through yonder window breaks..." Roxas read the dialogue in a dumbly robotic tone. "It is the east...and, uh...Juliet is the-"

Roxas was interrupted by a fit of snickering coming from the windowsill, and Roxas did his very best to restrain the urge to turn around and flog the mocking Preta with his "Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet" textbook. Roxas had been called upon by his English teacher to read Romeo's part in the famous window scene aloud. Unfortunately, the thick Shakespearian dialogue was difficult to read fluidly, so Roxas was having a bit of difficulty. And Axel's snickering wasn't making anything easier for him, either.

"Mr. Grimm, are you having trouble with the text?" His teacher addressed him firmly, lifting his eyes up from the textbook in his hand to where Roxas was sitting in the back row. Roxas quickly recovered by mockingly clearing his throat.

"No Mr. Ienzo, sir," Roxas replied after clearing his throat. "I just had something in my throat is all." He then looked over his shoulder to flash Axel a threatening glare, but the demon responded to the glare by grinning and bringing his hands to his chest, using his thumbs and index fingers to form the shape of a heart as he batted his long eyelashes flirtatiously.

"Well then," the teacher with slate-colored hair replied, his brow furrowing a bit as he pushed up his reading glasses to their proper place on the bridge of his nose. "If you are finished whispering sweet nothings to the windowsill, I would appreciate it if you would continue." This response from the teacher caused a ripple of giggling to erupt from his fellow students. Roxas sighed unevenly and continued with Romeo's unbearably long soliloquy, hoping that Axel would cut out his mocking for the last 15 minutes of this class, and then they could both go home.

"Be not her maid since she is envious…Her vessit-vesital…vestal? Livery is but sick and green…" Roxas cringed a bit as he tripped over the word 'vestal', expecting a few lone giggles and an irritated grunt from Mr. Ienzo, and another snicker from Axel. But Roxas only heard the first two, Axel having gone completely silent. Roxas dare not turn his head, unwilling to receive another sharp remark from his snooty English teacher, and continued his reading until the dialogue shifted from Romeo's monologue to Juliet's, to which then he decided to peek out of the corner of his eye to see what the demon was up to, but was surprised to see that Axel was gone. Roxas could only continue with what he was doing, hoping that wherever Axel had wandered off to, he wouldn't cause any trouble.

* * *

Axel didn't hesitate to investigate a strong presence that he had felt from inside the school building. While Roxas had his head turned, Axel had stepped out from the open window that he had been propped up against and walked out onto the tile rooftop, his emerald eyes searching the area around him carefully. He could sense the presence of another Preta on the school grounds, but he knew that it was neither Demyx or Marluxia (aka Pinky) because this presence was much stronger and ominous than those of his friendly aquaintances, and it gave Axel a very uneasy feeling. Though most Pretas are relatively harmless, only concerned with striving towards the salvation of themselves with the occasional mild trickster like Axel himself, it was not uncommon to have a Preta that couldn't grasp it's place in the world and become a malicious force. Axel had never truly met such a person in his relatively short lifetime for a Preta, but he had heard from Demyx and other Pretas that he had crossed paths with that these disturbed individuals could be considered dangerous to both Preta and human alike. Axel still wasn't even sure if this was the case, but he didn't want to take chances.

Not seeing anything out of the ordinary on the rooftop, Axel began looking elsewhere. He portaled himself onto the ground below, not far from the double doors that led to the cafeteria which Roxas and his buddies would come out of to eat under the tree every day. He walked along a gravel path not too far from said tree, his ears perking at the slightest unusual sound, trying to stay alert. At least, until he had to cover his ears to keep his eardrums from bleeding when he heard an air horn go off not too far away from where he was.

_What the hell was that_, Axel growled to himself as he looked to his left, and noticed that the track was currently being used by the PE class, the air horn having come from the coach that was standing off to the side as the class began to run laps around the track. He watched as the class ran to his direction and then rounded off the first corner, and Axel saw Xion bringing up the rear of the massive group of students. She must not have been that much of a runner, because she was going incredibly slow in comparison to those around her. In fact, after they had made it around the first bend, Xion had slowed down from a sprint to a trot, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath.

_She's tired already?_ Axel asked himself, his small brow perking. _Geez, what a little wimp_. _I could easily run circles around all of these little brats. _Though he understood Roxas' motives for looking after the seemingly frail female, Axel just couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't normal. Unfortunately, he knew this malicious presence wasn't coming from her, because if it was, he would have felt it on the day she arrived. Axel had half the mind to go over there right now and try to confirm his suspicions since Roxas was out of view, but his breif plotting ceased when he saw a dark figure out of the corner of his eye.

Axel quickly looked at the small concession stand nearby the track, and sure enough, there upon the rooftop was a crouched, hooded figure that Axel recognized as another Preta. It was crouched in the direction facing the track with his back facing Axel, so he wasn't certian if it was aware of his presence. Axel was never one to meddle in the affairs of another damned soul like himself, but the stench of angsty vengance surrounding this particular Preta was enough to make Axel's skin crawl. This was the presence that he had felt in the classroom, he was sure of it. The redheaded Preta approached the consession stand cautiously, his gaze never leaving the Preta on the rooftop, trying to pinpoint what it was looking at. But as soon as he got close enough, the hooded stranger vanished, portalling elsewhere. Axel carefully peeked out from the side of the concession stand to see the Preta now standing by the sand pit, watching the group of students running around the track. A Preta would only take interest in something like this if it involved something that he feasted upon. Axel racked his brain for something the teenagers could possibly have that this malicious Preta wanted; hair, clothing, loose change, shoelaces, just about anything they were wearing or had coming off of their bodies. Then, a much grim thought crossed Axel's mind; what if he is after something more dangerous, like skin, blood, or life force?

As far as Axel knew, Pretas were allowed to interfere with each other's road to repentance without receiving any form of punishment, be it because they wanted it to themselves or they did it just for the sake of prolonging each other's purgatory, so Axel decided to stay put in the event that any of these people were in danger. He didn't know any of them personally, but if he allowed something like this to happen, it would only add to the huge burden of guilt he already carried.

He watched the Preta eye each of them carefully as they made a second round around the track. It was definately trying to find something by the way it was looking from one teen to another. Finally, as it reached the last few students, Axel watched as it's head jerked in the direction of Xion. He had made his choice.

Axel felt conflicted. As much as he disliked Xion and felt that it would be a little safer without her around, he knew that Roxas would somehow find a way to blame anything that had happened to her on himself, as negative as he could get at times. Axel sighed as he cracked his knuckles, knowing he was still on ill terms with the girl, but he figured he was up for a little bit of rescuing. He was not doing this for Xion, but for Roxas. He better get a wholesome amount of hair for this. Acting quickly, he portaled from behind the stand to the center of the track by the sand pit where the dark figure was lurking.

"I wouldn't try it if I were you." Axel warned the Preta, making it turn it's head in his direction. Now that Axel had a closer look, he could tell that it was male by his stature. The stranger stared at him, his hood still concealing any noticeable features. Axel began to approach him, though his arms were down at his sides, he could feel the embers on his fingertips beginning to crackle in a threatening manner. After staring at each other for several moments, the opposing Preta looked back towards Xion, who was now rounding the bend in a slow trot towards them.

"Do not interfere." The Preta hissed in a deep, monotonous voice that caught Axel off gaurd for just a second. The Preta made a dash towards his prey with lightening inhuman speed, ready to go in for the kill.

Xion had known it was there since the moment she stepped out on the track. She had seen it on the concession stand's rooftop, watching with eyes like a hawk. She knew it was here for her. There was no other explanation. She knew of the impending danger and had tried to excuse herself to the restroom, but the coach wouldn't allow it. So she resorted to falling behind from the rest of the pack, so that in the event it decided to strike, there would be no innocent casualties. When it had moved from the roof to the sand pit, she held her breath as she rounded the corner, silently praying for her safety as she passed by. But to her horror, the Preta began to charge. She could not scream, she could not cry out, she could not defend herself here. She watched as the weapon of her destruction materialized in the predator's hand, a long staff-like sword that was adorned in blue and yellow; the Claymore.

He was closing in now, and there was nowhere she could run, nothing she could do, but fear gripped her with an iron fist, and she came to an abrupt halt as she threw her arms protectively over her head, and despite her initial effort to keep her composure, she wailed. The swoosh of air that sucked the breath out of her as the claymore was held over her head made her cower in fear. At least she knew her death would be swift.

But instead of feeling the blade come down on her, Xion heard a loud clash of metal. Xion's eyes shot open and she was met with the sight of a thin body clothed in black in front of her. She looked up to see long, crimson spiked hair, and she knew exactly who had come to her aid.

"What do you think you're doing? !" Xion cried at her savior, who had held up his dual chakrams to block the killing blow the predatory Preta was intent on inflicting upon her, and was fighting a battle of strength to keep the blow from sucessfuly slicing through him.

"Ha! I knew you could see me!" Axel exclaimed as he looked over his shoulder, his bright green eyes narrowing at her angrily. "And what do you mean "what do you think you're doing," what the hell does it look like?"

"You're no match for him, this isn't your fight!" Xion exclaimed.

"You should listen to the girl, you fool." The opposing Preta warned in a threatening tone. Axel scoffed in response.

"I don't take orders from anyone." Axel replied with a smug grin. "And that includes a whiny little brat and a rotten soul like yourself."

"You have neither the skill or the energy to face me. I will say it again; do not interfere."

"It's too late for that now, isn't it?" Axel shoved his opponent away with brute force, metal clanging as the other Preta took a few steps back, his hood falling back from his face, revealing it to Axel. He had long blue hair that went past his shoulders, his hollow golden gaze staring right through Axel's very being, and a large 'X' shaped scar going down the center of his face. Axel had never seen him before, but from the looks of it, he was pretty tough. Not too tough for him, of course.

"Axel, you don't know what you're getting yourself in to!" Xion warned, reaching out to tug on the redhead's coat, but Axel pushed her away.

"Shut up and be quiet like a good little damsel in distress. As much as I would love to just let him have at you, Roxas would never forgive me. Consider yourself lucky, because I'm not going to do this again, got it memorized?" Axel spat, glancing over his shoulder breifly. "Now unless you want to be caught in the crossfire, I suggest you start with the escaping."

Xion gritted her teeth, fully aware that there was nothing she could do. Axel was going to fight the Preta, whom she knew as Saïx, on Roxas' behalf, and he wasn't going to let her stop him.

"Fine! If you are going to fight, at least take it somewhere where no one could get hurt! At least do that much for me."

"What part of ESCAPING do you not understand? !" Axel growled, shaking his head as he turned away from the irritating girl. "Do you really think I'm that stupid? Now go away before I change my mind and let him eat your brains to his heart's content!"

Axel had to be quick when Saïx made a second attempt to attack the distracted Xion, blocking another one of his slashes yet again. Xion yelped and quickly made her getaway with this one.

"Quit with the cheap shots," Axel said as he wrestled with the claymore's force. "I'm your opponent, and there's no way you are going to touch her until I'm six feet under."

"Very well," Saïx replied. "Though you shall come to find that your endeavor was a grave mistake."

"Maybe after you catch me first." With that, Axel quickly jumped away from the intimate contact, ending up on the rooftop of the conession stand where Saïx had once been crouching. He gave the blue haired Preta a wink. "I hope that bulky weapon of yours doesn't weigh you down, or this isn't going to be any fun at all."

* * *

At last, Roxas was quite literally saved by the bell. He quickly packed his things and made it out the door as soon as possible. Though he didn't hate the English subject itself, Mr. Ienzo always insisted on reading Shakespeare, and he'd soon rather do yardwork or listen to Axel sing opera than read Shakespeare, let alone recite it. On the subject of Axel, Roxas was beginning to wonder where he had dissapeared off to so suddenly without a word. Usually, Axel always said something, like "I'll be back later" or something of the sort, but this time he didn't say anything at all. He didn't need anything out of his locker, so he was ready to leave as soon as he could. Yet as he opened the front door that lead out of the school building, Roxas heard someone call his name from within.

"Hey Roxas, hold on a minute!" A familiar brunette female called out to him, pushing past the crowds of people at their lockers to meet him at the door.

"Hey Olette," Roxas greeted his friend with a small smile. "Do you feel any better? I heard you were out of school until yesterday."

"Yes...I'm feeling much better now, thank you." Olette replied gingerly, and the two began to walk out the double doors and onto the school's front steps. Roxas wanted to talk, but Olette wasn't saying much of anything, just keeping her head down as she twiddled with the strap of her bag that was slung around her shoulder. After they had made it to the steps, Roxas cleared his throat unevenly.

"So..." Roxas said, the situation feeling extremely awkward. "Is something wrong, or do you need to tell me something...?"

"Oh, yeah," Olette laughed a little, embarrased by the silence she had created. "Sorry, I was just thinking about all of the things that happened last Thursday...I honestly don't remember coming to the pharmacy that day..." Roxas started to feel uneasy. Kairi must have talked to her about the events that had taken place, when Axel had disguised himself as Olette to eavesdrop on his outing with his friends. "But I just wanted to clarify something," Olette said as she looked away from Roxas, looking right past his shoulder to avoid his gaze. "Kairi said I made it seem like I...you know...liked you. Not that I don't!" Olette suddenly exclaimed, looking back at him apologetically. "You are a really good friend Roxas, you are really nice and a good listener, and I definately like you as a friend. But-"

"Don't worry about it." Roxas shook his head. "It was a misunderstanding, I understand, so you don't have to apologize."

"Really? So...you aren't mad at me?"

"No, why would I be?"

"Okay," Olette sighed in releif, then gave him a big smile. "That's a huge load off of my chest. Now if I can just get Hayner and Pence to stop being so immature about it..."

"You and I both know that that's never going to happen." Roxas chuckled.

"You're right." Olette rolled her eyes and continued to speak, but Roxas was suddenly distracted by a flash of red he saw out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head slightly and saw Axel on the rooftop of the cafeteria right beside the high school, his dual chakrams in hand as he darted around the rooftop, jumping and slashing at something that Roxas couldn't see. At first, Roxas thought he was just making a scene until something struck Axel across the face, and Axel breifly turned his head to the side to spit out what looked like blood onto the shiny rooftop. The sight of Axel's blood made him realize that he wasn't playing around, and he must be fighting with someone...or something he couldn't see.

"Hey Olette, I'm sorry to run but I have somewhere I have to be." Roxas stammered quickly, trying to contain the fear in his voice. He didn't wait to exchange goodbyes, and turned and ran towards the cafeteria. Axel had told him that nothing earthly could kill him, such as falling off of a cliff or at the hands of a human, but Pretas did have the ability to kill one another, and any other spiritual being higher than a Preta. So Roxas could only assume that Axel was fighting against another Preta, and it was only scaring him more that he couldn't see who was attacking him. But even if he could, he knew that there was nothing he could do, and it was making his chest ache in helplessness.

Axel was doing the best he could to avoid killing Saïx as much as possible. He had been hoping that his quick feet and sharp thinking in the heat of battle would prove more than what the blue haired man could handle and make him forefit, but it was becoming clear that it wasn't going to happen. Axel had no idea what it would mean for his or his opponent's soul if they were killed before their sentence had been carried out, but Axel didn't plan on finding out any time soon. Though Saïx was much slower than Axel, his weapon had a very long reach, and there were a few close calls. Axel cursed himself for not practicing as much as he should, because he could tell that his skills were a little rusty.

After their weapons clashed once more, both of them drew away quickly and went to occupy each side of the rooftop, their chests heaving as they glared at each other intensely, because dropping your gaurd for even a moment could be fatal.

"Had enough yet?" Axel asked coyly with a smirk, twirling his chakrams in his hands as flames enveloped their metal surfaces.

"Do not talk as though you have won." Saïx replied blankly, adjusting his grip on the handle of his Claymore. "I have no interest in ending your life, especially since you are only a child in terms of age."

"I don't remember this being a fight about who is older." Axel just _hated_ it when others brought up how young he was in comparison to most of the Pretas he had met. "Age has nothing to do with skill or competence. And I don't want to be the death of you either, but I can't allow you to hurt Xion." _As much as I would love to hurt her myself,_ he wanted to add, but he kept that notion to himself.

"Do you have absolutely any idea who she is?"

"No, and I don't really care to know, to be honest. Now stop talking and fight me or give up and leave."

"I will have you know that I have never backed down from a fight." Saïx chuckled as he swung his Claymore out to his side, readying to charge.

"That's a good thing to know, because neither have I." Axel crouched down to one knee, preparing his own charge. The two stared each other down, waiting for the right moment to strike. The wait was only moments, but it seemed like hours to Axel. Finally, with the slightest movement, Saïx charged towards him at breakneck speed. Axel grinned and pushed himself forward, riding on a tidal wave of fire that surfaced beneath his feet as he charged towards the blue haired Preta. Saïx let out a snarl as he swung his Claymore at Axel's head with the intent to chop it clear off of his shoulders, but Axel was much faster than the bulky weapon, easily ducking under the slash.

"Too slow!" Axel exclaimed, veering off to the side, coming up behind Saïx and releasing a huge wave of fire from his chakrams, sending Saïx staggering a few feet forward. Axel took this window opprotunity to unleash one of his chakrams on Saïx with a loud grunt, but he quickly whipped around and blocked the boomerang-like weapon from finding contact, the chakram falling back into it's master's grasp. Saïx took to the air, in which Axel quickly followed after him. Saïx held the Claymore over his head, preparing to come down on Axel to send him falling onto the ground below. Axel was preparing himself to counter when he heard his name being called.

"Axel!" The redhead heard the sound of Roxas' voice calling out to him, and Axel immediately snapped his head in the direction of where the sound had come from. Roxas was sprinting over to the cafeteria, and Axel scowled in annoyance. Had school already ended? What was Roxas thinking, just running right into a life or death battle for his sake? He knew Saïx would have heard it, and he knew that now the person he had to protect was not Xion, but Roxas.

But Axel had let his gaurd down, and that was a terrible mistake. Axel let out a cry as the Claymore hit him with seering force, feeling one of the spikes of the weapon's outer surface lodging itself in his shoulder before slipping out as Axel sailed downward to the ground, stunned and unable to react from the blinding pain in his shoulder. Roxas couldn't see the Claymore, but he saw the splash of blood that spilled from Axel's shoulder as he hit the ground. His adrenaline was pumping full force, completely unaware of his surroundings, his only concern being his best friend that lay on the ground, wheezing and coughing to catch his breath. Axel's chakrams lay just beneath is hands, but they dissolved into embers due to them not being needed.

"Axel, are you okay? !" Roxas cried as he crumbled to his knees beside him, his eyes drawn to the gaping hole in Axel's shoulder, his black coat covered in blood. Axel silenced coughing once head become aware of Roxas' presence and immediately gave him a nasty glare.

"Are you out of your mind? !" Axel spat at Roxas' ignorance, grabbing the teen by the arm and throwing him over with him as he rolled to the side to avoid another crushing blow from Saïx's Claymore that came down for the death blow, narrowly missing it by a heartbeat, the weapon only making contact with the ground that was stained with Axel's blood. Roxas didn't see it coming, but he definately felt a sense of danger and a rush of wind behind him that could only come from whatever it was Axel was fighting.

Saïx growled as he realized his opponent had escaped, yanking his weapon free from the ground and shaking off the bits of dirt and grass clinging to it's pointed edges as his cold golden eyes came down upon the object of distraction that had given him such a great opprotunity to end this quarry. Roxas looked up as he heard the faintest sound of a menacing chuckle, and a dark figure began to form where Axel had once been laying.

"What do we have here?" Saïx asked as he eyed the blonde human that sat beside a still struggling Axel, his blue eyes wide with fear and confusion.

"Who are you, and what do you want with Axel?" Roxas demanded, feeling his hands starting to shake as he took in the appearance of Axel's attacker. The Preta that stood before him looked menacing, and equally as dangerous. Roxas began to wonder if he really should have come over in the first place.

"I suppose an introduction would suffice, seeing as I may be the last person either of you come to know." Saïx replied, his voice completely devoid of emotion. "I am Saïx, a messenger of the will of the Asuras, and as for the subject of this fight, I would suggest that you ask the fool who lays before you."

"You started this?" Roxas hissed, looking down at Axel, who had managed to sit upright sometime during Saïx's introduction, the arm that was where his shoulder was wounded laying limply in his lap while his other hand grasped the wound to apply pressure to it.

"I did it for Xion!" Axel growled in a rage as he glared at Roxas. "He was going to attack her if I didn't stop him. Would you rather I did nothing and let her die?" Roxas was taken aback by Axel's explanation. Axel hated Xion with a passion; why would he try to save her? Roxas could feel regret swelling in his chest. Axel probably did it for him, there was not other explanation.

"How noble." Saïx bellowed. "Foolish, yet notably brave. But your efforts will prove to be in vain once I have finished you. Then I can follow through with my mission."

"Leave him alone!" Roxas snapped without thinking, wishing that he could take back the words that had just left his mouth. What was he thinking? He couldn't stand up to a Preta, let alone fight!

"Or?" Saïx's brow perked questioningly. Roxas bit down on his lip, trying to come up with something to say, yet anything that came to his mind was either stupid or wouldn't phase Saïx in the slightest. After all, he couldn't kill him if he tried.

"Don't pay attention to him," Axel hissed as he pushed Roxas aside and rose to his feet, maintaining his balance though one of his arms was pretty much rendered unusable. "This has nothing to do with him. It looks to me like I'm still standing, so you haven't won yet."

"But your shoulder-" Roxas tried to say.

"Shut up!" Axel barked at Roxas, glancing at him over his shoulder. "I've had much worse, you should stop while you can and go home! You can't do anything here." Axel was not going to let Roxas try to fight his fights for him. It was a stupid move on Roxas' part, and would mean certian death for sure. All the while, Saïx was watching the scene unfold before him with heightened interest.

"This is a very peculiar sight indeed." Saïx thought aloud, catching the pair's attention. A small smirk perked in the corner of his lips. "A Preta and a mere human conversing with one another so casually? I have not seen anything like this in a very long time. It is a shame that the redhead's concern is only make believe, wouldn't you say?"

"I don't want to hear it!" Roxas spat, Saïx's words bringing back the conversation he had with Demyx a week or so earlier coming back into his mind. He was sick of hearing that Axel's friendship and kindness was all a lie, when it obviously wasn't. "Axel is my friend, and I'm his friend, so of course we're concerned about each other! Nothing you say is gonna change that."

"I am only stating facts, child." Saïx scoffed. "It may appear that his intentions are sincere, and to him, they probably are. But the fact of the matter is, it is all a visad, an illusion, made by the power and drive inside him to quench his everlasting hunger until he has earned his place in the worlds, whichever one it may be."

"You know, you talk too much." Axel said in a dangerous tone, summoning one of his chakrams in his useable hand. "I really didn't want to have to kill you, but it looks like I'm going to have to so you can quit with the bullshit." Axel could see, very breifly, a look of surprise struck the blue haired Preta's previously unemotional gaze, lasting for only a second before fading back to wherever it had come from.

"Even you deny the truth?" Saïx questioned as the small smirk turned into an evil grin. "I must admit, this information is proving to be much more intriquing than what I would receive from the girl." Much to their surprise, Saïx withdrew his weapon, the Claymore vanishing in a flurry of blye flames from his hand. "I will see to it that this goes straight to my superiors. And I say this to you, Axel," Saïx gave the wounded Preta a menacing glare. "You might want to polish your skills or keep your little pet on a leash next time we meet, for I will not spare your life a second time."

"Whatever happened to 'I have never backed down from a fight'?" Axel mocked him.

"I am not backing down; merely putting it on hold." Before Axel could strike at him, Saïx vanished in a portal of black and purple, dissapearing from both of them. There was an uneasy silence that lasted only moments before Axel chuckled dryly, his chakram fading back into embers in his hands.

"This wasn't how I planned to spend my Tuesday afternoon." Axel said dryly as he staggered two steps, quickly regaining his balance. Roxas was still sitting on the ground, his legs and arms sprawled around him as the blue haired Preta's words sunk deep into his brain. This would make the second time he was warned about Axel's true intentions. The memory of their kiss flashed through his head, along with the moment they had shared the previous night. That couldn't have been fake. You couldn't fake something like that...

"Are you okay Roxas?" Axel asked, noticing the teen was lost in a stupor. Roxas quickly shook his head to snap out of it before looking up at Axel, who still looked like he was on the brink of falling again, his hand still clasping his shoulder tightly.

"I should be asking you that." Roxas said bitterly as he quickly got to his feet. "You shouldn't be standing, you need to get some help for that."

"Nah, don't worry about it." Axel squeezed his shoulder, doing his best not to wince in the process. "Like I said, I've had much worse... all we really need to do is swing by the park before we go home."

"Huh? What is that going to accomplish?" Roxas asked, paying no mind to Axel's nonchalant reply, and moved to the redhead's side, curling an arm around his thin waist as to serve as a brace for him to walk a little better. Axel really wanted to say something that would floor Roxas, but he knew this wasn't the time nor the place to do so. Maybe later.

"Demyx's magic is associated with water. That also makes him a really good healer. Trust me, it's a hard knock life as a Preta, and I've had my share of cuts and wounds, and Demyx was my go to man for a fix up."

"Do we really have to?" Roxas asked solemnly. He was still mad at Demyx for what he had said, and he really didn't want to see him unless he had to.

"What, would you rather me bleed all over the place and keel over?"

"Of course not! Don't ever joke about that!"

"Oooh, I struck a nerve." Axel grinned impishly in spite of his pain. It looked like the banter was going to find it's way in somehow, whether he wanted it to or not. "Does Roxy care about me that much? I'm so flattered."

"I should just drop you here and let you die."

"Aw, you wouldn't do that, you'd miss me too much." When Roxas didn't answer and started to walk forward to lead him towards the park, Axel took that as a silent, bashful agreement on Roxas' part.

* * *

_**I really didn't want to end it here, but I had to. *sweatdrop.* But no worries, expect an update soon!**_

_**I have almost caught up with myself! Mwahahahaa...**_


	12. Strawberries

_**A/N: I'm liking this whole fast update thing. I finally have the time to do it too. So you can expect my updates to be alot quicker now, and probably even more so when my new lappy arrives. I hope you all are enjoying this as much as I am. I love to make interesting stories like this. Hehehe...**_

_**I've reached over 100 reviews? o.o Thank you alllll! Like I said, I love my reviewers so much! I hope I continue to impress! **_

* * *

"OW!"

"Stop being such a baby and hold still."

"You said it wouldn't sting!"

"I lied, obviously. As many times I've had to do this you should remember it hurts a little."

"It fucking hurts, STOP!"

"I'm almost done, if you'll just shut up and give me a minute!"

Roxas was listening to Axel and Demyx argue with each other in his room while he was drying himself off from taking a shower in the bathroom, which was adjacent to his bedroom. Axel and Roxas tried to make it to the park as quickly as possible, where they had picked up Demyx to allow him to treat Axel's shoulder wound at home. It had been the first time Demyx had ever been to Roxas' house, and he was distracted for several minutes by Roxas' pets. Unlike Axel, Demyx adored dogs. So much that Roxas practically had to drag him inside to get to work on Axel before he bled all over his bed. How would he explain such a huge blood stain to his mother when she went to wash the sheets? That is, if she could see the blood or not, since it came from Axel, but that was a technicality that Roxas didn't want to risk. He would just ask Axel about it later.

"Does Roxas know you are _plotting my own death_? !"

"Oh my god, stop being such a drama queen and suck it up like a man!"

"Roxasssss, where are you? !"

"Aw, does Axel want Roxas to hold his hand?"

Roxas promptly heard a loud slapping noise and the sound of Demyx yelping in pain. Roxas snickered to himself as he listened to the two bicker, changing out of his soiled clothes into something a little more comfortable, such as some blue jean shorts and a white T-shirt with his favorite pizza resturaunt's name on the chest and back, "Mellow Mushroom." He hated the fact that there wasn't any Mellow Mushrooms nearby; he had to settle for Dominos or Papa Johns if he really wanted to get some pizza. He figured that he had eavesdropped long enough, and after brushing his hair quickly, he left the bathroom with said hairbrush in hand as he entered his room. Axel was laying on the bed with his back against the headboard, his arm with the wounded shoulder propped up by pillows and his coat unzipped down to below his navel, but only the side with the wound was pulled back a little, so the only thing Roxas could see clearly was a bit of Axel's very prominent collar bone. Wait, was he just making an effort to try to look at Axel's chest?

"Roxas, Demyx is trying to kill me." Axel whined pitifully as the blonde entered the room.

"I am not!" Demyx retorted defensively. Demyx was sitting on the edge of the bed beside Axel, his left hand that was glowing with a soft blue aura resting over Axel's wound that had been cleaned by earthly means with water, in which Demyx began his healing process moments after Roxas stepped out of the shower. It was that part that Axel started whining about, because though it was a very effective way to seal a wound, it did sting. But Axel always blew it out of proportion, and Demyx suspected it was all just an act to aggrivate him. "It's not my fault you like to go out and pick fights."

"But I picked this one for the right reason." Axel said proudly.

"You are still really reckless."

"So? You shouldn't be scolding me for anything, because I have never seen you fight before. You always run away like a little girl."

"Do not!"

"Am I the only one finding this amusing?" Roxas laughed as he sat down on the other side of Axel, handing him the blue hairbrush. "Here, by the way."

"Awesome!" Axel took the brush away from Roxas and inspected it meticulously, then frowning. "There's hardly anything here, Roxas."

"I'll definately tell my hair to fall out next time." Roxas rolled his eyes. Axel tossed the brush to the foot of the bed.

"This won't do, I risked my life today for not one, but two people. I think I deserve a bigger reward."

"I can give you a hug?" Roxas offered.

"Hugs are so boring." Axel groaned, then smiled smugly. "I can think of something else that could suffice, though."

"Really? Like what?"

"Another kiss."

"Hello, you have a witness here!" Demyx said irritably, acknowledging the fact that he was still in the room. Axel paid no mind, because at the moment, he and Roxas were engaged in a very intense staring contest. Roxas was giving him an ugly look, but it didn't hide the fact that his kissing comment made the blonde's cheeks grow pink, and it was slowly getting darker the longer they stared at each other. Almost a minute had gone by, and neither of them made a sound except for the occasional hiss in pain from Axel, and Roxas's eyes were squinting, trying to keep from blinking. The match was decided when Axel's free hand suddenly reached out to tickle one of Roxas' exposed sides, making him jerk away with a very unmanly shriek.

"Ha, I win." Axel beamed. "Loser has to kiss the winner."

"Wait, since when was that a rule?" Roxas said with a frown, moving his arms to clench at his sides to protect himself from another sneak attack.

"Since now."

"You can't just make up rules like that!"

"I just did."

"Seriously, do I need to leave or can I finish what I was dragged here to do?" Demyx whined, not wanting to listen to them talking about kissing or whatever of the sort, because the thought was inconceivable. Axel had been kissing on Roxas? He should know better than that. But now was not the time for Demyx to remind the redhead of his proper place, at least not right now.

"Demyx, can you stop being a cockblocker for like, five minutes? Thanks." Axel said casually over his shoulder. Demyx's brow furrowed and he sharply put more pressure on Axel's shoulder, making the flirting Preta scream in pain. "What the fuck, Demyx? ! Was that really nessesary? !"

"Who's the one doing the healing here?"

"Roxas, hold me." Axel pouted, extending his good hand out towards the object of his affection.

"I don't know," Roxas said in an unsure tone as he folded his arms at his chest. He felt weird about Axel talking like this in front of Demyx. "You tickled me when you promised you'd stop."

"Don't be so cruel!"

"I can if I want to be."

"You both are such kill joys."

"I am not a kill joy!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"It looks to me like everything's back to normal." Demyx chuckled a little as he took away his hand from his friend's shoulder, the gaping hole now having the look of being freshly scabbed over, no longer a threat to Axel's health. "Okay, just don't rip it open and you should be okay."

"Awesome, now I can take Roxas back to that bat cave I was talking about Friday." Axel rubbed his hands together evily.

"Huh? You have a bat cave?" Demyx blinked in surprise. "How come I've never gone to your bat cave?"

"You can go in my place, I don't want to go!" Roxas exclaimed. Axel brought his hand to his partially exposed chest, giving Roxas the most broken hearted look he could possibly make.

"You hurt my feelings, Roxas." Axel said in a pathetic tone. "See, Demyx wants to go to my bat cave!"

The three of them continued this back and forth well into the afternoon, on until the sky began to turn red and gold as the sun began to set. Roxas had worried that Demyx was going to bring up something about the conversation they had, but he surprisingly didn't say a word about it. In fact, he acted like it never even happened. Roxas didn't know if he was pretending it didn't because Axel was present, or if Demyx had actually forgotten about it. Roxas didn't think Demyx could hide something like that very well though, so he figured it had just slipped his mind. When Demyx finally left for the evening, Roxas felt a weight being lifted off of his shoulders.

"Finally." Roxas sighed in relief once the other Preta that didn't take residence in his home had left for the evening, the blonde letting himself fall back onto his bed with his arms outstretched at his sides.

"I'm guessing you're glad he's gone?" Axel asked as he pulled the zipper up on his coat to it's appropriate place just a little ways above his chest.

"In a sense that I am tired and he was here for a long time, then yes."

"Ah." Axel nodded in agreement, slipping out from under the covers of the bed to crawl over to where Roxas was laying on the bed. "I'm glad he's gone too."

"Why's that?" Roxas asked, but his question would soon be answered when he felt Axel come up to straddle his hips, his face growing hot from the way Axel was looking down at him so smugly and full of himself. Not to mention...well, he was straddling him, for pete's sake. He was vaguely aware that Axel had done the same thing late last night, but he was only partially concious and didn't pay much mind to it. This time, he was completely awake and alert, and that changed everything.

"Because," Axel said with a mischevious glint in his eye as he leaned down to the blonde that was flustering beneath him. "You owe me another kiss. Two, actually."

"T-two?" Roxas stammered.

"Yes, one for my heroic rescuing and one for winning that staring contest. I was completely serious when I said that earlier." Axel leaned in closer so that he hovered just above Roxas' face, their noses only inches apart. Roxas could feel Axel's warm breath ghosting over his quivering lips, his bright emerald eyes glancing downwards to Roxas' lips breifly before looking him in the eye again, searching for any sign of reluctance or doubt. Of course Roxas was doubtful, especially when once again, every single reason that he could think of for why he shouldn't came rushing back to his mind. Axel could see this uncertianty reflecting in Roxas' eyes, and it only made him feel guilty on the inside. Did Roxas still doubt him after all the time they had spent together just because of what some cocky blueberry said a few hours ago?

"You're doing it again." Axel said softly.

"I'm sorry..." Roxas replied sadly, his eyes drawing to a close. "I just don't know..."

"You don't know because you're only listening to what others tell you. You aren't listening to how it feels to you."

"But Axel...we are totally different from each other..."

"So? I see you, you see me, we have two eyes and two ears, one mouth and ten fingers. Not that much different to me."

"But-" Roxas was silenced by an index finger being placed upon his lips, his eyes opening wide in surprise.

"Stop with the 'buts.' Stop trying to pick out our faults, my faults, and just do whatever comes to you, because I don't want to hear it anymore. If you haven't already guessed by now, I really like you, Roxas. And even though you might not want to admit it, I get the feeling that you feel the same. That's all we really need, forget the technicalities." Axel had been right when he labled Roxas as one of those completely oblivious people, because once Axel had admitted it outright, it hit him like a speeding dump truck. All this time Roxas thought Axel was making fun of him or just being nice out of pity, but in truth, Axel liked him. This newfound information somehow made things easier to digest for Roxas. But there was one thing that plagued his mind about it all.

"...How do I know you like me for me, and not for my hair?" Roxas asked quietly, averting his gaze. Axel may like him, but maybe it was just because of his hair like Saix had said, and neither of them realized it.

"Am I asking your hair for a kiss or am I asking you?" Axel asked as he rolled his eyes.

"Don't be a smartass, I'm trying to be serious here."

"So am I, but you keep asking dumb questions." Axel sighed, just about ready to give up on this endeavor entirely, pulling himself away from Roxas, but he was stopped when he felt Roxas grab at his good arm to keep him from coming off of him.

"Don't."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want you to..." Roxas said in almost a whisper, bringing himself to look up at Axel sheepishly. "I don't want you to go."

"What do you mean?" Roxas hesistated, not sure if he wanted to continue with his statement, but he had come this far already, and it already seemed like the cat was out of the bag in terms of his vague realization that he was attracted to Axel, so there wasn't a point in holding back now.

"I mean that I don't want you to leave, for good. You said you have to stay here until I give you my hair. We've become really close friends, and as much as you may ask me to, I really don't want to give you my hair because I'm afraid you'll leave and never come back." Axel brows turned upwards with sympathy, feeling the guilt in his chest only grow heavier. It was true, he had to stay as long as Roxas didn't give him his hair, and though he really didn't mind spending that time with the blonde, he knew deep down that this speed bump he had come to was seriously counting against him in terms of how long it was going to take until he could redeem himself and be allowed to be reborn again in a much better life than this one with a clean slate. For all of his 60 years, that was Axel's goal. It was still his goal, but now it's become so much more complicated than that. He didn't know what he wanted for sure. He knew he liked Roxas, but he wasn't sure that he would practically give up his own salvation for him. He didn't know what he was going to do once the deed had been done. Axel pushed his churning thoughts off to the side to contemplate at a more convenient time.

"Look, I just want you to try something for me." Axel said, trying to change the subject.

"What?"

"I want you to clear your head of any doubts. Anything you may have heard, anything that makes you think that being like this with me is wrong. All I am asking for is a kiss. You've done it before, and I know you can do it again. Just let yourself enjoy the feeling if you can, without thinking too much about it, okay?" Clear his mind? Axel was sure asking alot of him... but Roxas wanted to give it a try. Maybe it would lead to something, like the truth about Axel's intentions, so if it was going to end up hurting him, he could get out now and just give in to the pressure and hand over his hair so they could move on with their lives. Roxas gave him a small nod.

"...Okay." Roxas said shakily, sighing just as equally. Axel leaned back down to hover over Roxas' face again, the teen feeling the smallest of chills go down his spine as he felt Axel's breath washing over him again. It was a very small sensation, one he had not felt before, but that was probably because he had panicked the first time. But now that he could feel it, it was giving him butterflies in his stomach.

"Just two." Axel said softly, bringing his not so good hand to Roxas' cheek, letting his good arm maintain his balance as he let his gloved thumb gently brush along Roxas' skin. Roxas tried to make his nerves that were buzzing with a fuzzy feeling calm down as he focused on Axel's lips, surpressing his doubts as he watched them come closer. Axel closed the gap between them with a soft kiss, his thumb still stroking Roxas' cheek reassuringly as he took in the taste of Roxas' soft pouting lips, because it was likely that he wasn't going to feel it agian. He was a bit dissapointed that Roxas didn't try to return the kiss, but he knew he was asking alot of him already. It wasn't that Roxas didn't want to; he was distracted by the surreal feeling he was getting from the entire scenario. Axel's lips were gentle and sweet, a detail that Roxas had not noticed the first time, and definately not what he would have expected from the Preta. He almost whimpered as Axel pulled away, but then he remembered that he had one more left to go.

"One..." Axel whispered against Roxas' lips, counting the number he had already covered. He quickly sealed Roxas' lips once more, feeling a faint sense of excitement once he felt Roxas kiss him back this time. They shared this tender kiss for a few moments longer than their last, but all things do have to come to an end. Axel gently pulled away for the second time, seeing Roxas' peaceful expression on his face with his eyes half lidded. He smiled, judging by the blonde's expression that he had enjoyed the sweet contact. "And that makes two. Didn't I tell you you'd enjoy it more if you didn't think so hard?"

"Mhm..." Roxas murmured bashfully, turning his head to the side a little to avoid Axel's gaze. He had enjoyed the kisses very much, and once it was over, it left Roxas in much more conflict with himself than before. His head kept spouting off every reason why this shouldn't be happening and why it was wrong, but there was an undeniable warmth that was left over from it all that made it seem worth it. Roxas felt the hand that was on his cheek move upwards, the long digits threading themselves in his golden locks and began to massage his scalp gently.

"Hey," Axel said, trying to get Roxas' attention again. "If it really bothers you that much, I won't try to make you do it again." In his own words, Roxas knew Axel was saying that if he wanted him to back off and leave him alone, he would. Roxas knew that meant not only this would stop, but Axel would probably start sleeping in the sleeping bag again, and everything would pretty much go back to the way it was when they first met. Part of Roxas wanted that to happen, to bring back a small glimmer of normalicy back into his life. But he had become so used to having Axel around, to have his face pressed up against Axel's body as he slept, whether it was his back or his chest, and to talk so candidly that Roxas' wasn't sure he would like it if things changed back to how they were.

"It doesn't bother me." Roxas replied, shaking his head a little. Axel's eyes grew wide with surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"In that case..." Axel's smile widened as his head came down to let his forehead rest against Roxas'. "Would it bother you if I kissed you again?" Roxas didn't give himself time to doubt again. He let his arms that had been resting at his sides reach up to wrap them around Axel's neck loosely as he chuckled.

"Not at all."

* * *

***Week 4, Day 28, Wendsday***

"Good morning Roxas!" Roxas heard Xion greet him on the front steps of the school the next day. Roxas gave her a warm smile and quickened his pace to a trot to catch up with her as she started walking up the steps.

"Good morning Xion." Roxas replied as he caught up to her, the two of them stopping at the first few steps breifly as other students around them were buzzing about, socializing and cutting up in the last five minutes before school was supposed to start.

"Olette told me that you seemed worried about something yesterday," Xion said as she fiddled with the light silk purple scarf that hung around her neck, trying to adjust it so it wasn't being tightened around her neck like a noose from being caught in the straps of her backpack. "Is everything all right?"

"Oh yeah, everything's fine." Roxas reassured her with a nod. "I just remembered my mom asked me to stop by the grocery store before I went home, and she's the kind of mom that gets paranoid when you're a minute late when you come home, you know?"

"That must suck." Xion giggled a little.

"Thanks for your concern, though."

"No problem." Out of the corner of Roxas' eye, he started seeing the people around him begin to migrate into the school building, and he knew that they should probably follow their lead if they didn't want to be tardy.

"Come on, I think we should get going." Roxas said, motioning with a nod of his head over towards the double doors. As soon as they made their way inside, the first bell rang to signal the beginning of homeroom class. Roxas immediately broke out into a sprint down the hallway, with Xion not too far behind him. He rounded the corner to head right into Mr. Ienzo's classroom, but before Xion could complete the same manuver, she felt herself suddenly being yanked out of the hallway to her right, into the area with the staircase that lead to the second floor. She barely had any time to react as she was shoved against the wall, and she was immediately met with bright green eyes filled with angry rage. Her first instinctive reaction was to scream, but even as she opened her mouth to do so, a gloved hand clasped over it to prevent the escape of any sound she could make. Not like crying out for help would have done her any good.

"Don't even try it." Axel growled menacingly as he moved his hand away from her mouth and grabbed her by the arm tightly. "You should know better than to try to pull a stunt like that. Now if you'll behave like a good little girl, I can make this as quick and painless as possible."

"What do you want with me?" Xion asked impatiently as she tried to pull away from Axel.

"I want answers._ Now_." Axel demanded as he tightened his grip on her arm, making her flinch. "And don't even give me that stupid little pitiful look you always do, because it doesn't phase me in the slightest."

"I'm going to be late for class." Xion said blandly through clenched teeth.

"Two steps ahead of you." Axel said, reaching into one of the pockets of his trenchcoat and pulled out a slip of paper, shoving it into one of Xion's hands. "A tardy note from the office. Now we have all the time in the world to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you, nor to I need to."

"Too bad sweetheart," Axel said poisonously. "Because you aren't going anywhere until you start explaining what the hell is going on around here."

"I don't have to explain myself to a lowly Preta like you." Xion replied bitterly as she tried to pull her arm away once more, but Axel didn't budge.

"I may be a Preta, but because of you, an innocent mortal life was in danger, along with many others. Roxas was almost severely injured yesterday by that Preta that attacked you because I went out of my way to protect your sorry ass for him." Axel's eyes narrowed threateningly. "His blood would have been on your hands."

"You're the one who interfered!" Xion exclaimed. "I didn't need to be protected, I could have faired on my own easily."

"Says the one who cowered in fear." Axel scoffed. "What could you have done, poked him to death? Besides, you're the one who brought this shit here in the first place!" Xion bit down on her lower lip harshly, jerking her arm away from him for a third time, and Axel released her, thuroughly disgusted by her uncompassion. "I don't know who or what you are, but if you are going to pose such a threat to these human lives so carelessly, I want to be prepared for what's to come so I can keep them safe." _And more importantly, keep Roxas safe_, he thought to himself. There was a bitter silence between the two, the tension in the air around them being so thick that it could easily be cut with a knife. Xion contemplated to try to make a run for it, but she knew that Axel would easily catch her before she even made it back into the hallway.

"You want answers?" Xion asked with a frown. "Fine then, but I cannot tell you who I am or what I am here for."

"Then what am I supposed to ask you, what your favorite color is?" Axel barked sarcastically.

"My favorite color is purple, actually."

"I don't care what your favorite color is!" Axel growled, restraining every fiber of his being that was screaming to punch this little brat in the face. He was definately not in the mood to mess around, and he wasn't going to let it happen. Taking a deep breath in an effort to calm himself, he folded his arms at his chest as he looked back down at the girl before him. "If you won't tell me who you are, then tell me who Saïx is and why he was here."

"Saïx..." Xion stated her attacker's name, her gaze drifting downwards towards the floor as she let her backpack slide off of her shoulders, figuring that she was going to be here for a while. "I'm sure you know he is a Preta, just like yourself."

"I've only been one for 60 years," Axel grumbled, starting to get annoyed with her already, his fingertips drumming along his arm. "I know what a damn Preta looks like. He said something about being a messenger for Asura."

"Asura is not a name. It's a life form. Do you not know this already?"

"If I knew what an Asura was, I wouldn't be asking you."

"An Asura is one of the six life forms a soul can be reincarnated into; a Naraka, which is an inhabitant of hell, a Preta, an animal, a human, an Asura, and an angel. Out of the six, it is one of the four 'unhappy births' a soul could be born into."

"Can we not turn this into some kind of textbook lesson?" Axel rolled his eyes. "I didn't ask for the story of the beginning of the universe. Just tell me what an Asura is."

"I am trying, if you will be patient." Xion said irritably. "You can think of an Asura like a demigod. They are a step above being a human, but not exactly the same as being an angel, or a Deva, as we like to call it."

"And who is 'we'?"

"I told you I can't tell you that."

"Fine, whatever. You were saying?"

"Asuras are souls who were good enough to not be turned into Pretas, but were not pure enough to become human or angels. They are a very violent race that lives outside the walls of Heaven, bickering with each other and trying to find ways to start wars with the inhabitants of Heaven, and the high ranking angels that live on the Pure Abode mountians. So far there has been a peace between the two for many years, but recently there has been talk of a certian band of Asuras that think that they are more capable of running the universe than the Gods themselves, who live on Pure Abode's summit. It is only gossip, but nonetheless it is a threat that's not to be taken lightly."

"Okay...so where does Saïx fit in all of this?"

"Asuras cannot come down from the Heavens to walk the Earth, so they use other means of gathering information on the mortal plane, and Saïx is one of the few Pretas that have turned their back on their road to repentance to work for the Asuras, under the false promise that they will give the Pretas that helped them overthrow the Gods a completely clean slate and a permanent place on the top of Pure Abode."

"Just another buttkisser, huh?" Axel chuckled lightly.

"Pretty much."

"I hope you know, though, that you've done a bad job of trying not to tell me why you're here."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, you're obviously here to try to keep the peace and stop Saïx, right?" Xion frowned as she started to twiddle her fingers nervously. She just shouldn't have said anything in the first place.

"...That's not the whole reason, but that's a part of it."

"So what is he trying to look for here on Earth? If it's a Heavenly conflict, then what does it have to do with this plane?" Xion suddenly became silent, unwilling to look Axel in the eye. Axel's brows knitted together in concern. "Don't go quiet on me, I asked you a question."

"...I don't think I should tell you."

"And why not?"

"Because it has to do with you."

"All the more reason why you should tell me about it." Axel said in a serious tone. Axel had no idea what she was talking about, and he also couldn't think of anything that could warrant the attention of someone in Heaven. Had he done something wrong?

"Axel..." Xion said softly, her demeanor changing completely as she looked back up at him, her deep blue eyes filled with pity. "I know of the trials you've suffered. I can understand your desire to protect Roxas, and I can say that it is very noble of you to try to do something like that in your position. But you have to understand that you can't change what you've done, no matter how kind you are to him." Xion's words shot right into the very depths of Axel's soul and rocked it's very foundation. The tethers that were tied to the walls that had been created to protect himself began to crumble around him. How could she know about his life? How could she have possibly known about the very deed that sealed his fate? Axel opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. If Xion truly knew everything about him, then she must not be of this world, there was nothing else that Axel could think of to calm his completely shot nerves.

"...Who are you?" Axel finally managed to say, his arms uncurling from his chest to come at his sides, feeling the faintest twitch of his index finger summon a small glimmer of embers.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you."

"Then unless you tell me who the hell you think you are to give me such a pitiful look and try to tell me what I have done was wrong, then I suggest that you leave from here and go back to wherever you came from."

"Even after all of these years, you still don't think you were in the wrong?" Xion asked sadly.

"Of course I don't!" Axel snarled through clenched teeth. "Those shit faced Nazi bastards stole everything from me! My life, my family, my sanity, and the one thing that meant the entire world to me, and you really think I was in the wrong for taking a life when they took _thousands_? !" How dare this mere child accuse him? "You have no idea, no way to comprehend the things I've seen, the things I've been through. So don't you dare try to sympathize with me or try to tell me I was wrong, or I swear on my sister's life that I will not hesitate to kill you where you stand."

"Is this what Aerith would have wanted?" Xion said, undeterred by Axel's ominious threats. For a kind hearted soul like Axel to harbor so much hate was a sight that was enough to want to bring Xion to tears. The pain he must have endured must have been too much for any one person to handle. "Would she want to see her brother threaten to take another life on her behalf?" Xion saw Axel's pupils dialate, the eyes that she had seen so full of laughter and mischeif reflect murder in the day's light. She knew what she had said reached to touch Axel's very core, and in that moment, Axel had every intention and desire to end her life. But she also knew that he wouldn't follow through with it. Before either party could utter another sentence, the bell that sounded off the ending of homeroom class and the beginning of first period echoed in the halls, and doors began to click with the sound of turning knobs and the voices of teenagers buzzed around like a hoard of flies.

"Wonderful. It looks that I've missed homeroom class thanks to you." Xion muttered irritably as she crumbled up the note in her hand and dropped it to the floor. "I'll have to go get another note." Axel did not say a word, but nor did she expect him to in his stunned stupor. She quickly grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder before looking back at Axel. "I want you to think about what I have said to you, Axel. You should know that what you're doing is dangerous, for both your soul and Roxas'. And unless you want to have more enemies like Saïx coming after you, you need to put an end to this friendship you have with Roxas and move on. That is all I have to say to you."

But Axel didn't hear a word she said. He didn't even see her leave, or the crowds of people that walked past him, through him, to reach the second floor of the school, but it all seemed to go in slow motion around him. He stared blankly at the wall in front of him, Xion's words repeating themselves over and over in his head.

_'Is this what Aerith would have wanted?'_

A slightly trembling hand began to move slowly to Axel's side, his hand reaching into his large left hand pocket, the only pocket he never used, his long fingers curling around a small memento that he always kept on his person, no matter where he was or what he was doing. It always stayed in his pocket, ever since he found it laying in a pile of ashes not to long after he had been reborn as a Preta. He pulled the object out of his pocket slowly, the item almost fitting completely in the palm of his hand as he brought it up to his view. Uncurling his fingers, in his palm lay a tiny rag doll, it's unclothed creamy white fabric faded and stained in the dirt of age, the thread of it's stitched eyes having started to come undone and seer. The yarn that had been woven in it's head as hair was soiled, with only several strands left and leaving the rag doll with an unsightly bald spot.

_'Would she want to see her brother threaten to take another life on her behalf?'_

His thumb brushed over the rag doll's stomach, his gaze still blank and aimless as he stared down at it's pathetic and pitiful features. It may have been the ugliest thing in the world, but to Axel, it was the most precious thing he had. He sat down on the first step of the staircase, holding the doll in between his two hands. Axel stomach twisted into knots as he tried to tuck one of the loose threads down so that it would not come undone. He had not been expecting his exchange with Xion to leave him feeling so helpless and broken. If she really knew everything about him, then she must have known how Axel had loved his little sister more than life itself. She must have known it was the only thing that could reduce the clever, manipulative, kind and humorous Preta into a solemn silence.

_I did it all for her,_ Axel whispered to himself, knowing that if he tried to speak, his resolve that he had worked so hard to obtain would shatter. He instead growled audibly as he hung his head, his teeth clenched as the doll that lay in his hands rested upon his forehead. _I promised her that we would make it out together alive. I promised that I would protect her. _On the subject of promises, another promise he had made to Aerith struck him, and it made his eyes start to sting as a small smile crossed his thin lips. He lifted his head and looked down at the doll that he cradled lovingly in his hands. _I also promised to feed you, huh? What was it she said you liked again...? _Axel combed his brain for the answer. Unable to come up with it, he glanced up to the teenagers still pushing and walking around him, looking for some sort of sign or something that would remind him of the answer he was seeking. He would find it in a key ring that hung off of a girl's hand bag as she passed by Axel, completely unaware of his presence, just like the rest of the people around him.

_It was strawberries, wasn't it?_

* * *

_**This story's just full of surprises, isn't it? :D But do not fret, my lovely readers, for the answers you seek are soon to come! I luv suspense, yes? **_

_**You have no idea how long I was arguing with myself who I wanted Axel's sister to be. If you're sitting here thinking 'wtf, why Aerith?', just be patient, you will find out! I don't like Aerith, though. Dunno why, since I've never played FF before. *pssh.* So excuse me for my lack of FF knowledge. **_

_**On this note...this would be a great time to tell you that I'm leaving for a week long trip. *sweatdrop.* I am striving for one last update before I leave on Thursday. But rest assured when I come back, the writing withdrawal will be so bad that I wouldn't be surprised if I double updated. Yes, that happens to me when I have a great story going and don't have the means to write it down right away.**_


	13. Bombs and Sunsets

_**A/N: You guys better be glad I like writing this story and that I like you guys so much. It's 4 am and I is tired. But seriously. I hope you like this chapter.**_

* * *

For the rest of the day, Axel didn't attend any of Roxas' classes. He needed some time alone to think, and he didn't want to risk running into Xion, because he was sure that he would wring her neck if they crossed paths again. Axel retreated to one of the magnolia trees that he had sat in a long time ago when he first started following Roxas around, the small ragdoll still in his left hand that sat in his lap, his right hand dangling idly at his side as he stared blankly into the rich green bushles that blocked his vision of the school building.

Axel had been born in the heart of Germany itself, in the nation's capital of Berlin in 1922. He lived with his mother, father, and grandfather in a small apartment duplex. His grandfather owned a clock shop, and he spent most of his time there alongside his grandfather because his parents were almost always either looking for a job or having to travel very long distances to get to their jobs. After the first World War, it had left Germany in a disastrous economic depression and the country was in severe debt. Many were unemployed, and those who did have a job just struggled to get by. Axel was not completely aware of the poverty around him, but it was because he was used to it. It was hard enough for his parents to take care of him alone, so he had remained an only child up until the age of thirteen.

His mother's sister, his only living aunt, had a reputation for being promiscuous, and often sold her body in order to make ends meet for her own standard of life. It was no surprise when she eventually turned up pregnant. His mother had tried her best to convince her to keep the baby, but her aunt insisted on getting an abortion. An abortion was extremely expensive in that day and age, and not to mention extremely dangerous. So after much arguing, his aunt agreed to carry the baby full term and then give it to his mother to take care of it in her place. So in short, Aerith was actually his cousin, but she was still his little sister all the same. The little brunette girl had him wrapped around her finger the moment he met her as a newborn baby.

Shortly after this, Axel finally became aware of his family's situation, and he asked his grandfather to work at his clock shop to help out, and he agreed almost instantly, impressed that his grandson was taking responsibility upon himself at such a young age. Of course, Aerith would have to come with him to work every day since his parents were gone most of the time, and his grandfather was quite up in age so he could only do so much, so Axel was undeniably her primary gaurdian. He always looked out for her and tried to give her what she wanted, as long as it was a reasonable request. She was a sweet little girl that looked up to her brother, and if Axel ever had to leave her alone, she always wanted to know when he would come back. Aerith was the only girl to ever truly have Axel's heart.

When Hitler came into power, his family found it difficult to rest easy. Axel was not entirely of Jewish decent, his grandmother had been Jewish, but his parents had never practiced it, but it was enough to make him outcasted by the outside community. He and Aerith eventually had to drop out of school due to the political pressure zeroing in on them, and his family made the decision to move to Poland to escape the Nazi predjudice. It was in Poland that they found some peace, but it was short lived. In 1939, when Axel was seventeen and Aerith was only three years old, Hitler made the decision to invade Poland. Axel could remember the attack almost clearly.

He had taken Aerith with him to the market to buy one of their favorite foods; strawberries. It was a rarity to have strawberries, and if it was ever in stock, people swarmed around it like bees to honey. The pair had tried to beat the rush, and sucessfully got their hands on a small box of the fruit. They were on their way home when they heard the war planes approaching overhead. The warning bomb sirens began to wail, and he scooped up Aerith into his arms and ran to the nearest underground tunnel that had been constructed as a bomb shelter. There were already what seemed like hundreds of people there, and they barely managed to make it in before a bomb struck only a half mile away from the entrance of the tunnel. Aerith began to cry, clinging to Axel's chest with one hand and another around the small box of strawberries. Axel quickly pushed his way through the panicking crowd into the nearest alcove, and sat down on the cold concrete surface to try to calm his frazzled nerves.

He wondered in horror if his family had heard the sirens and if they had made it to another safety zone to escape the attack, but he had to push his worries aside so that he could try to comfort Aerith, who was wailing and trembling in fear, several people around him giving him dirty looks and yelling at him to silence her. Eventually, he just had to press his hand over he mouth and hug her to his chest tightly, shushing her in her ear until she finally reduced into sniffled and choking coughs. The strawberries had broken out of the box and were littered all around them, soiled and crushed from the crowd around them.

Once the bombings seemed to dissapear, Axel and Aerith cautiously came out of the underground shelter to see the neighborhood completely leveled in ruin. He tried to hope for the best as he walked among the wreckage with Aerith at his side, trying to make it back home. But once they made it back to their neighborhood, Axel realized that their home had been hit directly by one of the German war bombs. There was no way anyone inside could have survived. He would come to find out later that Poland was now under German rule, and the Nazis were beginning to comb the streets to pick out the Jews to send off to their concentration camps. Fortunately, because Axel and Aerith had no other living relatives, and any record of them being related to their family was destroyed in the attack, they were safe from Nazi clutches for the moment. His weak Jewish heritage wasn't the reason for his undoing.

After realizing his mind was beginning to replay old events, Axel snapped out of his haze and sighed heavily, reaching up to his face with his free hands and massaging his temples with his thumb and middle finger as he tried to contemplate his next move. He still had no idea what was going on with Xion or Saix, and still couldn't think of why any Asura would have had any interest in him. He definately didn't want to go to Xion for answers again. He needed to talk to someone who might have a better idea as to what it was he could be doing wrong. He came to the conclusion to talk to Demyx. Demyx might be a little scatterbrained, but he was older than him by hundreds of years, and probably had a better understanding of the worlds both above and below this one. The sooner he could find Demyx, the better.

* * *

"Remind me again why you brought me here?" Axel's companion at the moment, Demyx, asked him in a whining tone as the two of them sat atop the gleaming metal roofs of one of the dugouts overlooking a playing field at the recreation center, overseeing what seemed like a scrimmage taking place on the red, dusty baseball field before them. Axel seemed content at the moment, but Demyx was a bit irritated.

"Because, Roxas always comes here on Wendsdays." Axel replied matter of factly, adjusting his position so that he propped himself up with his left arm while his right tested idly in his lap. "And there's a scrimmage today for Roxas' brother Sora, so he's is busy cheering him on."

"That doesn't require me being here with you." Demyx grumbled as he crossed his arms, very perturbed with the fact that Axel had practically dragged him here from the park, not offering any sort of explanation as to what was going on. And, frankly, Demyx was feeling very hungry right now, and as far as he could tell, there was no sand to be found here at the center; only icky, red dirt and dust. "Why are you still bothering to follow this kid around, anyway? If he's lasted this long without caving in, I'm pretty sure he has no intention of giving up his hair anytime soon-"

"Will you quit your whining for just a few minutes?" Axel growled, frowning as he rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. "It's getting really annoying."

"Well then, I think I'll just leave then." Demyx shot back, rising to his feet with a huff. As Demyx tried to take a step away to jump off the dugout, he felt himself being halted by something grabbing the end of his coat. He turned his head to look down at what had grabbed him, and he saw the face of a very irritated redheaded Preta having grabbed his coat, and gave it a quick, strong tug to send the mullet haired male stumbling backwards, losing his balance and falling right back down on his ass with a loud thump.

"Ow!" Demyx cried as he hit the roof, turning his head to give Axel a menacing glare. "What the heck was that for? If you didn't want me to leave you could have just said so!"

"Do you really think I would want to hang out with you just for the hell of it?" Axel hissed, his emerald green eyes narrowing threateningly at Demyx, causing the dirty blonde's frown to face into a thin line as he gulped audibly, now intimidated by the domineering Preta scowling at him. Once Axel assumed that Demyx had remembered his place, he released his grip on his coat and leaned in a little closer to the frightened male, causing him to wince a bit. "There's a reason I brought you here, dipshit. I have a little problem and I want to find out if there's something I'm doing wrong. And seeing that you've been a Preta for much longer than I have, I figured that you would know something." Demyx blinked, his mind anxiously groping around for something to say, but he found it difficult to do so while he was looking Axel in the eye.

"Well why didn't you say something earlier…" Demyx mumbled as he broke his gaze away from Axel, feeling completely defeated at his attempt to assert himself to him.

"Because," Axel heaved an angry sigh, trying his best to let the anger that had swelled in him subside so he could move on to more important matters. "It's something that I don't really want Roxas to hear about. It's none of his business to know about it right now."

Axel then went on to explain to him the situation with the blue haired Preta in more detail than he had the previous day, also including Xion and how she had the ability to see him and the conversation they had in the stairwell earlier in the day, conveniently leaving out the latter part of it that included his sister. He still had no intention of telling Demyx about her or anything else related to her.

"Axel..." Demyx's tone suddenly became very quiet, and Axel looked over at the Preta to see that he was staring down at his hands that were resting in his lap, a frown drawn onto his usually smiling lips. Seeing this reaction out of Demyx made Axel's brow furrow in slight concern, because if it was something that made Demyx so quiet, then it must be something he should be more worried about than he really was. Demyx slowly looked to his side in Axel's direction, but he didn't look him in the eye, which was starting to irriate him, just a tiny little bit. "...Do you remember what took place in the afterlife after you passed away? Before you became what you are now?" Axel bit the inside of his cheek a bit as he tried to recall the details. They were a bit fuzzy, due to the occasion happening over 60 years ago, but he could remember most of the ordeal.

* * *

_He had remembered feeling lighter, as if all force of gravity on him had released it's neverending hold on him. When he had found the strength to open his eyes, he saw nothing but twilight above him, as though he were laying back on a cool grassy feild to look at the stars. _

_He remembered sitting up, but after that, the memory of the afterlife became a bit blurry, as if the cable signal had gone out for a few moments, only to return to the image of Axel now standing upright in this seemingly neverending, completely enveloping twilight, the dark blue sky with faint glints of light that came form the brightest stars above him, below him, all around him. Before him towered what looked like a giant, intricate statue, adorned in gold, jade, and other precious worldy materials. The statue was in the form of a stout looking man with the head of a dragon hanging over a giant wheel that was sitting in the man's lap and being held with his two hands, as if the statue was presenting the wheel to him like some sort of scholar or teacher. On the wheel, there were six different sections, separated into what looked like an evenly distributed pie chart. Axel couldn't remember all of the symbols on the wheel, but he could remember the face of a goat, the face of a shriveled man with sunken cheeks with his mouth contorted into a scream, and a man with three faces. He remembered these three symbols well because apparently, those were the only options he had to choose from._

_He knew this because as he tried to approach the statue, he felt an internal voice within him, not as if someone was talking to him, but as if it was forgotten knowledge that he was reminding himself of at this very moment. It was almost like instinct. He didn't know why, but he knew he had to turn the wheel. It was an odd feeling that he had never felt before, and it was because it was so odd that he could remember it the most out of anything in his experience. As he drew in closer, the statue seemed to shine brighter as sections of it came to life, two fingers of the stout deity's left hand covering two sections on the left side of the chart, and a single index finger on his right hand on the right side, leaving the remaining three sections mentioned earlier visible to Axel. With an uncertian hand, he reached up to let his fingertips graze gently on the wheel's surface, and the wheel began to spin. It made a very noisy clunking noise as it spun around and around, the sound almost deafening to him, making him need to cover his ears to try to muffle out the noise that was thrashing against his eardrums, gritting his teeth. He still didn't understand what was driving him to spin this wheel, but he knew that it was something he had to do. But it really could have done without it making his ears bleed._

_As the noise began to die down, Axel looked back up at the wheel to see the image of the shrieking man staring right back at him. Axel felt fear rise within his stomach, having the feeling that this outcome was not going to be a plesant one. The fuzzy static returned, and the rest of his time spent at that wheel was lost to the very depths of his memory. Axel would come to find shortly after becoming a Preta that the symbols on the wheel were depictions of what he would come to be in the next life, his options having been an animal, a Preta, and another sort of spiritual being. The other three options had been hidden from him because his karma was not good enough for Heaven, nor was it bad enough for Hell, but he couldn't repeat his cycle as a human again._

_He did remember what happened afterwards very clearly, though as to how he had gotten from the wheel to the next destination was unclear. He was in a place that seemed to contain an atmosphere of infinite melancholy and regret. It was predominately grey, in some portions, the swirling grey masses seemed to give away to white whirlpools. There was no floor, no door, no window, as Axel could recall, but he found himself unable to pay much attention to where he was currently residing due to the horrible pain in his stomach. It was consuming, it was almost unbearable, and it had him clenching his abdomen as he hissed in pain. What was this...hunger?_

_"Welcome to the World In Between." A voice suddenly boomed, and Axel jerked his head around his shoulder to see that he was not alone. Behind him stood a tall, dark skinned man with golden eyes and long, silver hair, adorned in a black and white robe. Axel could not see a single emotion flicker in the stranger's golden gaze, but he seemed to be smirking at him, though his eyes reflected no anger, mischeif, or distain. Axel wanted to question the stranger, but for some reason, he had the feeling that the use of words here on his part was unessesary. Though mysterious and puzzling, this man seemed to know the answers to the questions he had._

_The stranger's specific words were a blur, but Axel remembered that he was telling him of what he had become, and what he had to do in order to redeem himself so that he may have a shot at a better next life after this one as a Preta, to be as a human or a being of Heaven. He had said this lifetime of 'cleansing' could take many many years, decades, even centuries. It was up to the gods when Axel's punishment had been completed._

_After he was through with his small orientation, he raised his left hand, and with an effortless snap of his fingers, a swirling dark portal appeared a few feet in front of them, the portal that would take Axel to Earth to begin his life as a Preta. _

_Axel was feeling overwhelmed, but figured that the sooner he made it back to Earth, he would have plenty of time to sort things out. As he made his way towards the portal, he suddenly tripped over something._

_"Woah!" Axel exclaimed as he stumbled a bit, but he regained his balance, and looked down to see what he had tripped over. Somehow, the stranger seemed to have shifted his postion, and purposefully stuck his foot out in front of Axel to trip him up, and he was now currently standing on the train of the man's robe. Axel's brow furrowed as he scowled, still not used to these extreme hunger pangs he was experiencing. "What did you do that for? !"_

_"To test you." The dark-skinned male replied with another hollow smirk, and Axel felt as though some sort of bond, some sort of rule, had just been broken. He began to feel uneasy in the stranger's presence, and decided not to linger there too much longer, and turned away from the stranger to enter the dark swirling portal. He never saw that man again._

* * *

"Does it really matter what happened?" Axel asked dryly, not understanding where the conversation was leading, and reached up to run his fingers through his hair out of anxious habit. "I don't see how something that happened so long ago has anything to do with life right now." Demyx grunted dissaprovingly, making it known that Axel's response wasn't exactly the best response to help with his explanation. "And would it kill you to look at me when you talk to me? I know I barked at you earlier, but geez, I didn't mean for you to piss your pants over it."

"It's not really what happened that's important. What is important is who you might have spoken to." Demyx replied in an equally dry tone, though wanting to come up with some sort of comeback to Axel's snide remark, he didn't want to end up beaten to a bloody pulp before he got the chance to finish this conversation. He consented, looking up at Axel, but his expression remained blank. "Did you talk to anyone, anyone else at all, besides the wheel?"

"I didn't really...talk to the wheel. But, there was this one guy," Axel said, recalling the silver haired man that he had encountered, though they had only barely exchanged words at all. "He was very tan, and he looked like he had a beef with the entire world, if you know what I mean. We barely talked that much though," Axel rolled his eyes a bit. "I accidently stepped on his black and white Snuggie or something that he was wearing, and and he said he was testing me, but I just shrugged it off."

Demyx's eyes seemed to light up at the description of the man that Axel was giving him, his lips slowly forming into an 'o' shape, like that of surprise. Once Axel had finished, there was a small pause between the two of them before Demyx groaned rather dramatically as he slapped his hand to his forehead.

"You idiot," Demyx groaned irritably, shaking his head. "Didn't your parents ever tell you that you aren't supposed to talk to anyone in the afterlife?"

"My parents weren't religious at all, and neither was I." Axel snorted in reply, crossing his arms. "I didn't have time for that shit, and I don't really have time for it now. I know I should have probably been more religious, but I didn't know until afterwards, after it was too late to change anything. Besides, my parents were never at home, thank you very much, because my father was too busy fighting against the North Koreans in the Korean War and my mother was working at a damn factory while he was gone so we could afford food and so I could go to school. Church wasn't exactly on our list of things to do in our free time, so I'd greatly appreciate if you would just skip the sermon and just tell me what the hell is going on, because your emotional rollercoaster of being a whiny little brat and a wise guy is starting to tick me off." Axel lied through his teeth, hoping that he had accurately pinned down the story he had made up to satisfy Demyx's curiousity of where he had come from. It was true that the Korean War was around the 1950s, and that's the same time that Axel had been reborn, but he had actually passed away in 1944. Demyx must have forgotten that there was a time lapse in this Limbo, allowing the soul to mature into the role that it was about to partake in it's new life. It was the only time that Axel was ever thankful for Demyx's selective memory.

Demyx frowned, wanting so very badly to put this 'newbie' in his place in terms of complaining about a rough life. At least Axel had certified doctors and vaccines in his period of life; if Demyx had a fever, the best he could have gotten was a shot of whiskey. _You want to complain about your living conditions? _Demyx thought to himself, wishing that he had the courage to say it aloud. _Try being on the damn Mayflower, leaving the only home you had ever known in England for some 'New World' that your mum and father kept talking about. Have YOU seen a redskin scalp someone alive? I don't think so. _If he just had the guts to say to Axel's face, maybe the redhead would respect him.

"I'll summarize it for you." Demyx said in a pained tone, trying to hold back the words he really wanted to say to get Axel to take him seriously. "That 'guy' you ticked off wasn't a 'guy' at all. He was an Asura."

"You've got to be shitting me." Axel immediately slapped his forehead with his palm, clenching his teeth. How could he have been so stupid? He hadn't known anything back then, but would it have killed him to watch where he was going?

"That Asura is there to help Pretas onto Earth, and you aren't supposed to talk to him, or anyone else that you see in the afterlife. But since he heard the sound of your voice, and because you stepped on his...uh..." Demyx looked at the redhead with confustion on his face. "What did you call it again?"

"It doesn't matter what I said, you've told me all I really need to know." Axel dismissed him with a wave. "Thanks for your help."

"What...? You mean that's it?" Demyx blinked.

"Yep. That's all I wanted to know."

"What if I don't feel like leaving now?"

"Then I'm just going to leave you up here by yourself." Axel said irritably.

"What's got you so crabby all of a sudden?"

"This damn Asura that's out to get me because I looked at him funny, that's what." Axel glared at Demyx. "And because of that stupid mistake I made, I've dragged Roxas into this too without even realizing it. Saïx got a good look at him, so there's no doubt that if he comes back, he's going to try to get to Roxas to try to get to me."

"You know what the best solution would be for that problem? Get rid of Roxas." Demyx deadpanned.

"I can't just do that." Axel scowled at him.

"Why not? All you have to do is threaten him and scare him shitless and he'll hand over his hair in a heartbeat, and you can go on your merry way."

"It's complicated, Demyx. Don't try to tell me how to do my damn job!"

"I am sick of you two!" Demyx exclaimed as he got back to his feet, fitting his hands to his skull as he made an irritated sound. "Both of you have lost your minds! You can't just be friends, you aren't allowed to be friends, it's unnatural and shouldn't happen! I told him that already!"

"You told who what?" Axel asked, and Demyx's sea green eyes widened in fear. He _reeeeallllyy_ shouldn't have said that. He made a small meeping noise as he scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Nobody...?" But Axel knew exactly who. Axel got to his feet as well and immediately grabbed the anxious Preta by his hood, yanking him back over to him to grab the front of his collar, pulling him close enough so that their noses almost touched as Axel's green eyes gave him such an acidic look that Demyx was sure his eyes were starting to melt. He winced and tried to get away, but Axel held him tightly by the front of his coat.

"And just what _exactly_ did you tell Roxas, hm?"

"I...uh..."

"Don't stammer like a little twit and answer the damn question." Demyx sighed shakily as he hung his head, not wanting to look at Axel when he was going to get hammered into the roof beneath his feet, or barbequed alive, whichever one Axel saw fitting.

"...I told him about our true nature. That how our hunger drives us to do what we do. I said...if he really thought that you cared about him, it was all just an act made up by the desire inside you to go to any length to feed your hunger. You know it's true, Axel... everything we say, everything we do, our starvation has an influence in it. I really think you are only hanging onto this relationship you have with him only because he's not giving you what you want. I told him...if he really wanted to make you happy, he just needed to give you his hair so you could leave." Instead of feeling a fist lodging itself into his face, Demyx felt Axel release his grip on his coat. He dared to open his eye into the tiniest sliver, and he couldn't quite explain the look that Axel was giving him. Anger? Guilt? Dissapointment? Those were only a few. Axel turned to walk away from Demyx, not saying another word.

"Hey, where are you going?" Demyx called after him, unsure if Axel was going to answer him at all.

"To undo the bullshit you put in his head."

* * *

Roxas was tired after watching Sora's scrimmage game. He had taken two tests earlier in the morning and both of them had left him drained mentally, and on top of that, he was spending his free time wondering where Axel was. Axel seemed to be avoiding him all day today. Roxas didn't want to read into it too much, but seeing as how they had shared such a tender moment the night before, for Axel to suddenly dissapear with no explanation again was making him very nervous. He was starting to worry that he might have upset Axel somehow. He couldn't think of how, but the thought was still there.

He barely listened to Sora's chatter on the walk home, and when they finally made it home, Roxas didn't feel like eating dinner right away, but instead told his mother to leave it out for him to eat later, because he wasn't feeling very good. He then excused himself to go back to his bedroom, and he was quite surprised to see a familiar spiky red head already there, laying with his torso hanging off the side of the bed, his head upside down and his long spiky hair brushing along the hardwood floor as he hummed softly to himself, his eyes closed and hands folded and resting on his stomach.

"That's a very...interesting position." Roxas said, unable to think of much else to say. One of Axel's eyes opened to look at him, and then his previously frowning lips (which looked like was smiling from Roxas' point of view) upturned into a small smile (which now looked like a frown. So contradicting when you're hanging upside down.)

"I was just waiting for you to get back." Axel replied simply, yawning softly. "I didn't feel like looking for you, so I just came home." It was a lie, really. He had been at the scrimmage where Roxas was, but he had been laying in this position thinking of a way to break through the uncertianties that Demyx had instilled in his mind. The whole issue with the Asura was still on Axel's mind too, but Roxas was a little more important than that.

"Where have you been all day?" Roxas asked as he tossed his backpack onto the floor, letting it lay wherever it decided to fall as he approached the bed.

"I've just been doing some thinking." Axel said, moving to sit upright, but he did it too fast, and suddenly felt very dizzy. He had to stop and hold his head for a moment so his sense of balance could be restored. "Sheesh...that's why you aren't supposed to do that."

"Thinking about what?" Roxas said somewhat flatly, trying to conceal the nervousness in his voice. He was further surprised when Axel turned around a little and reached out to grab his hand.

"I want to take you somewhere." Axel said suddenly.

"Take me somewhere?" Roxas repeated the statement. "...Take me where?"

"It's a surprise, I can't just tell you where it is, duh." Axel stated with a small grin. He then squeezed Roxas' hand gently, his voice becoming a little softer. "But I only want you to come with me if you truly trust me. If you don't, then we can't go. If we do, though..." His gloved thumb stroked the flesh of Roxas' hand gently. "I promise you're going to like it." He then tugged on Roxas' hand to bring him to sit down on the bed beside him. "So let me ask you. Do you trust me?"

Roxas opened his mouth to speak, but his words wouldn't come. He did trust Axel, but once again his doubts were wrapping it's fingers around his throat and making his mind race. Axel saw this and immediately flicked the blonde in the forehead.

"Ow!" Roxas yelped, rubbing the spot where Axel had flicked him.

"I told you to stop with the thinking. It only gets in your way. Now I'm going to ask you again. Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"Are you really sure?"

"...Yeah?"

"Are you reeeaally reeeaally sure?"

"God dammit Axel, I said I trust you three times already!" Roxas huffed. Axel laughed at his frustration.

"I know, I just wanted to see that swelled up look when you're frustrated." Axel squeezed his hand again. "Now hold on, okay?" _Because I've never tried portaling with someone else with me before_, Axel was going to add, but he knew Roxas would flip a shit or something if he did. Roxas nodded, and suddenly he was enveloped in black and purple swirls of darkness. He was temporarily blinded for just a moment before he suddenly felt the brightness of the outside in his eyes, the breeze of the wind on his face, and he realized that he was outside. On top of the tall clock tower in the center of town, to be exact, with his feet dangling over the edge as he sat on the large stone railing. Roxas jerked back, startled by the sudden change in scenery, and fell back onto the walk way behind him with a loud _THUD_.

"Ouch..." Roxas whimpered as he grabbed the top of his head with his hands, sucking in his breath through his teeth. He felt himself being lifted back up onto the railing, an arm curling around his waist and pulling him to the right a little ways until he was up against a familiar warmth.

"That looked like it hurt." Axel chuckled a little. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." Roxas managed to say, slowly bringing his hands down to rest in his lap, feeling his face flush from the close contact. He always got this way when he was close to Axel. He felt Axel lean down and kiss the top of his head where he had hurt his head.

"Better?"

"A little." Roxas said with a sheepish smile.

"Okay then. Look at where we are." Roxas blinked a few times to get adjusted to suddenly being outside, taking in his surroundings. He was on the clock tower's front, sitting on the edge of the balconey that overlooked the entire city, the sky above them painted in brilliant shades of red pink, gold, and other vibrant colors that brought the sky to life during a sunset. Roxas gaped at the sight. He had seen a beautiful sunset before back at home, but he never imagined he could see such a beautiful one here in the city.

"The sunset..."

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Axel beamed, smiling as he took in the sight as well. "Before you let me stay with you, this is pretty much where I lived."

"In the clock tower?" Roxas asked, looking over his shoulder to look at the top of the tower that held the large bell that chimed at every hour. At least up until ten pm.

"Mhm. I've been in this town for several years now, and whenever I wasn't out looking for food, I was always here." Axel rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. "It may be kind of dumb, but I liked the view up here...especially this time of day, right as the sun is setting. It's really peaceful. At least to me."

"It isn't dumb. I can see why you'd stay up here, it's quiet and no one would come up here to bother you that much." Roxas said, leaning his head into Axel's shoulder a little. Axel smiled and tightened his grip a little around Roxas so that they sat right beside each other, his free hand coming to lay in his lap as they looked off into the sunset. Roxas' gaze looked downward breifly, and he took interest in Axel's free hand, his left hand reaching out to grasp it and let his small fingers (in comparison to Axel's) outline Axel's idily as he looked back up at the sunset.

"I know about what Demyx said to you." Axel said suddenly, looking down at the blond who was laying his head on his shoulder. Roxas' eyes widened in fear, the nice little moment they were having suddenly being shattered.

"...You do?" Roxas asked weakly. Axel nodded.

"I found out about it today. I really wish you would have told me about it when it happened."

"I'm sorry..." Roxas said, looking up at Axel sheepishly. "I guess I just didn't want to tell you about it because I was afraid he was right."

"You think he was right?" Axel's tone was hurtful, and Roxas regretted being so blunt.

"No, that's not what I meant." Roxas tried to explain as his hands toyed with Axel's fingertips. "I mean...I did at first, but after all that's happened since then, like how we've gotten so close, and how you pretty much saved my ass when I should have known better..." Roxas gave him an apologetic look. "I know you want my hair, I understand that. But like you said last night, you like me, and I like you. The other technicalities shouldn't matter." A small smile graced Axel's lips as he leaned down to gently kiss the blonde's forehead.

"So you were listening to me." Axel murmured against Roxas' sunkissed skin.

"I always do. Unless you're being a dick."

"I'm trying to have a fuzzy fluffy moment with you here, leave the dickiness for the bedroom." Axel grinned, planting another kiss on his forehead.

"Did you just say 'dickiness'?"

"Yes, I did. I just made it up. Now stop getting distracted, I actually do have something important I wanted to say." Roxas rolled his eyes a little, but he held his tongue as Axel started to speak again after pulling away from him to look him in the eye, his brows scrunched together as he looked down at Roxas thoughtfully. "I'm not going to lie to you. There is some truth to what Demyx said." Axel's words cut through Roxas like a knife, the small smile that had come to his lips fading into a straight line. "It's true that my hunger has an influential role in the decisions I make and the things I do. I'm a Preta, and that's something I can't change." Roxas' head slowly began to decend downwards away from him, but Axel reached up with his free hand and caught his chin, tilting his head back up to give him a deep, yet still gentle kiss. Roxas was angry with Axel and wanted to push him away at first, but after a few moments of feeling Axel's lips on his, it quickly melted his resolve. Roxas' eyes fluttered as he returned the kiss, turning his body to the side to that his torso was mostly facing Axel while his legs still dangled over the building's edge, their lips parting for only moments before clashing together again in another deep kiss. Axel's hand moved from Roxas' chin to the back of his neck, not allowing Roxas time to pull away and let his mind take over. He wanted Roxas to_ feel_. Roxas' hands slowly reached up to frame Axel's face, his eyes drifting to a close. The doubts that had come to him in full force at Axel's words were being forcefully pushed away by the warmth that Axel always filled Roxas with whenever they were close together, and even more so when they kissed.

When the two finally pulled away for air, Roxas' eyes were still dreamily closed, and Axel paused to kiss the area on the bridge of Roxas' nose between his eyes.

"But I want you to know," Axel's breath washed over Roxas' face, making him shutter at the lovely feeling. "That my feelings about you are genuine. Our friendship is genuine. If I let my hunger have it's way, I would have been long gone by now. But I'm still here because I want to be. I like you, Roxas. And that's coming straight from the heart." The hand behind Roxas' neck moved back to the front of Roxas' face to brush his long golden bangs out of his eyes as the blonde's eyes began to open. "I know there's alot going on that you don't understand, and I honestly don't understand it that much, either. But I promise you, I won't let anything happen to you. And I'm not going anywhere until I absolutely have to." His arm around the blonde's waist uncurled itself from his waist to reach up and take one of Roxas' hands from his face, holding it as his thumb stroked the top of his hand gently, his other hand that had brushed his face coming to rest on top of Roxas' other hand on his face to keep it in place. "Do you trust me?"

"...Yeah." Roxas said slowly with a smile. Axel chuckled softly.

"You better."

* * *

_**And now I'm off for vacation for a week. :( I'm sorry, but I'll update as soon as I can when I return. I hope this can tide you over until then! **_

_**FINALLY. You get to see some of Axel's past. Geez woman, you made them wait for so damn long! D: And the rewrite is officially complete, meaning everything from here on out is brand newwwwwww~ So take that! Mwahahaha. Reviews are appreciatedddd!**_

_**It's 4 am. I'm god damned tired. Goodnight everyone.**_


	14. So, How's The Weather?

_**A/N: I'm baaaaaccccck. hehe... I betcha missed me. Not really? Okay, that works too. :P**_

* * *

Naminé was hesitant to acend the Pure Abode to the summit. As dearly as she wanted to keep the rumor of rogue Asuras under wraps, her attempts to prevent it's escape to the higher world were all in vain. She had created secondary vessels to scout the outer walls of Heaven, and sent one of her very crudely made vessels to Earth. She had mastered the art of creating vessels with paper, but sending a paper vessel to Earth was not the best idea.

Long ago, when Naminé had extra time on her hands, she had tried to create a vessel out of clay that she had found seeping out of the mouth of the prayer geyser. With this light brown clay, she began to sculpt a vessel in a more intimate image, in the image of a human, instead of the fairies and bugs that she had become so used to creating. However, during the process, she had made several mistakes in the vessel's creation. Her vessels were designed to be connected with her, to share her personality and to be obedient servants to their creator and act upon her very will. Once she completed her creation, she took the clay sculpture by the chin gently, placing a feather soft kiss onto it's forehead, and breathed life into it's hollow body. The clay began to twist and shift, the light brown coloring shifting into an assorted array of colors as it took shape. It was in the shape of a female, it's skin shifting into a shining alabaster, the short hair on the crown of her head as black as ink. Naminé watched as her clay vessel slowly opened it's eyes, revealing a beautiful sapphire color that was acute to Naminé's own eye color. The angel greeted her servant with a kind, sheepish smile, but the vessel acted on it's own accord. The black haired puppet hissed at her, her blue eyes wild with a feral madness, making the angel fear for her own life. She feared that she had created a monster. She had quickly summoned some of her more sturdy vessels to attempt to restrain her clay model, but she easily ripped the paper vessels to shreds before fleeing into the hills of Pure Abode. Naminé's heart ached as she kneeled down to take the shreded reminants of her precious prayer vessels into her tiny palms, and also for her clay vessel that refused to obey.

Needless to say, any other vessels Naminé had created were prepared with much more care and attention then her prototype, careful not to make a single mistake. She could have sent her more perfected creations made of other substances, but her pure heart couldn't turn a blind eye to her very first clay creation that stalked the hills, occasionally coming to the prayer geyser and watching the angel at work silently. Despite her flaws, the clay vessel still knew that Naminé was her creator, and that she was supposed to do whatever the angel asked of her. But unlike any of the other vessels, she had accidentally been given a small amount of free will. Therefore, to an extent, the clay model had a choice of wether or not she would serve Naminé or not. It took alot of coaxing on Naminé's part to convince the clay vessel, which she had tenderly named Xion, to go to Earth and keep an eye on a certian disturbance that had come to her attention. Apparently, one of her prayer vessels mentioned a certian Preta on Earth that was acting out against his nature and intended road to repentance, and Naminé knew that the Asuras would jump on the opprotunity to exploit this and use it to spark warfare. She wasn't sure how, but she knew that they would. Asuras would, and have in the past, started wars over their dirty laundry, and other pointless things. But years ago, the demigods had signed a treaty with the Gods at the summit to quell all fighting between the beings of Heaven and Asuras outside the walls. So far, the treaty had been working just fine, but Naminé wasn't too sure that the Asuras were going to keep their word.

There was no way Naminé could know who the Preta in question was, or keep an eye on the situation, because angels and Devas of her class couldn't leave Heaven; it was about as impossible as staring at a tree with the intention of making it burst into flames with 'mind powers.' So Naminé decided to send Xion to be her eyes and ears, and to avoid trouble from oncoming Pretas sent by the Asuras that would surely come to destroy her.

But Xion had a close call, and Naminé didn't want to take any more risks than she had to. If Xion were to be destroyed, the Preta causing trouble would definately be in danger, and there wouldn't be anything Naminé could do about it. Yet, there was a silver lining to Xion's attempted assasination; Naminé knew who the Preta was and everything about him, thanks to his humble deed and her research into the Preta's history thanks to a Deva in the valley beneath the Pure Abode mountians that housed records of every single soul that existed in the universe, showing who they were and when. Armed with this information, Naminé was about to acend to the summit of Pure Abode to confront the Gods and try to present the evidence of a possible invasion by the Asuras.

She only hoped that they would believe her.

* * *

***Week 4, Day 30, Friday***

Roxas could tell Axel was tense. The Preta had been perfectly fine that morning, Axel just being his Axel-ish self, but as they came to the school gates, Axel suddenly became very rigid and terse with him. The two days before that, Axel didn't go into school with him at all, either. Roxas knew that it didn't have anything to do with him, but whatever it was, it was making him nervous. He didn't want to ask Axel what was wrong, because he knew he would just be talking to a brick wall. Instead, he just let the Preta part ways with him wordless as his group of friends showed up, trying not to seem so distant as they talked together for a while before class was supposed to begin. He hoped with time that Axel would eventually be able to talk to him without worry, because the Preta was starting to slowly open up to him, finally.

It wasn't until around lunch time that Roxas saw Axel again. He had finished lunch early and wanted to finish his math homework that he didn't finish the previous night, and found the redhead sitting in Roxas' desk, his head buried into his arms that laid folded on the desk. The blonde was going to speak until he heard a light snoring noise coming from Axel at his desk, the ball of spiky crimson locks shuttering as he turned his head slightly and buried his eyes into the crook of his arm. Roxas closed the door behind him and cautiously walked over to the slumbering male, not wanting to wake him up, but he still needed to get his homework done, so he settled to sit in the desk beside his own that was unoccupied. Normally, unzipping his bookbag wasn't that big of a deal, but suddenly in the most inconvenient circumstances, the sound the zipper made seemed to be amplified three times over in the quiet classroom, and Roxas was sure it would make Axel stir, but the Preta didn't budge at all. Roxas' hand hovered over his bookbag as his colbalt gaze looked up to Axel, just taking a moment to pause and look at him sleeping. Roxas hardly ever saw Axel's face when they slept together, but that was because their positions of choice included Axel tucking him under his chin with him snuggling up to his chest, or hugging him from behind. Even now, his face was partially hidden by the black fabric of his coat that he always insisted that he couldn't remove, but from what Roxas could see, it was a sight nonetheless.

The sun that peeked through the white blinded windows streaked Axel's cheeks in a striped pattern, a particular stripe going over one of his tear-shaped tattoos and making it's purple hue brighter than usual. His long eyelashes would twitch every once in a while, with his small scarlet brows following suit. He watched how his trenchcoat's sleeve would flutter with each soft exhale through partially opened lips that Roxas was starting to become familiar with. If he had to describe the overall feeling, he'd have to say that Axel seemed...peaceful. Not adorable, like Axel would often describe many of Roxas' own little quirks, but pretty to look at.

He had to snap himself out of his admiration. As much as he'd like to sit and watch Axel sleep or try to pet his soft red hair, he still had homework that needed to be finished. No doubt, Axel would bother him once class started, so there was no sense in starting the process early. There was a comfortable silence, the only sounds being Axel's soft breathing and the scratching of a black and green mechanical pencil on notebook paper. If only Axel would be this quiet when he was concious while Roxas was doing homework.

About fifteen minutes passed, the end of the lunch period drawing near, when Axel finally stirred. He didn't awaken loudly, his bright green eyes opening slowly as his lips stretched into a yawn, ending it softly as he determined that through the hood of thick eyelashes, Roxas was sitting in the desk beside him. He blinked several times, becoming accustomed to the light as he heard Roxas' pencil scritch and scratch away at the paper, the blonde having not noticed him awaken. Axel sat there quietly and watched Roxas for several minutes, commending him silently for such dilligence in his acedemics. He was pretty sure that if he had stayed in school, he wouldn't nearly have been the same way, so he did give Roxas props there. But, he also knew that homework was not nearly as exciting as movie time or a quick makeout session, so he constantly kept Roxas distracted.

"Finally awake?" Roxas acknowledged him, giving him a side glance from the homework sitting before him. Axel nodded sluggishly.

"Been sleepin' here since morning." Axel mumbled as he nuzzled his eyes into his arm, avoiding the sun that had shone in his eyes breifly. It was a good thing he had chosen a desk that was unoccupied by others, because waking up with some stranger sitting in his lap would have been pretty awkward, at least to him. He chose it out of habit, he knew it was Roxas' desk.

"Could we switch places then? I don't want to have to make you get up if you fall asleep again before class starts." Axel had a better idea. He shook his head a little and motioned for Roxas to come to him as he sat upright in the chair. Roxas easily shifted into the Preta's lap, unsure of why he didn't want to just switch places until he felt Axel coil his arms around his waist lightly and lay his head on the back of his shoulder. Axel made a noise that sounded like a questioning grunt into his shoulder, and Roxas just reached over to grab his things and move them to his desk. "Works for me." Axel smiled groggily and turned his head to the side, his breath tickling the back of Roxas' neck as he exhaled. Upon inhaling again, the scent of Roxas' hair drifted into his nose, and he became more alert. He uncoiled his left arm from the teen's waist and started to comb through his hair tiredly as Roxas resumed working on his homework. Axel thought to himself that they probably looked like a couple of monkeys every time they did this, and chuckled at the thought.

"What are you laughing at?" Roxas asked casually.

"Nothing, really. Just stupid stuff. Keep doing your homework." Axel assured him, giving him a light kiss on the back of his neck.

"That's the first time something like that has come out of your mouth."

"And it'll be the last, only because I'm tired."

"You're such a whore for attention."

"I'm a whore for _your _attention." Axel grinned against his skin. "Can't help it."

"Shut up and go back to sleep." Roxas sighed as he tried to concentrate on his last few problems, but it was a little difficult to do so with Axel breathing on the back of his neck and stroking his hair like he was, his sluggish movements were almost dragging his head back in the process. "And be more gentle please, it hurts."

"Sorry." Axel sounded bereaved, taking the strands of loose blonde hair that he had already collected in his hand and placing them in his pocket to eat at a later time. He didn't like to eat in front of Roxas, knowing how weird it must be to watch someone eat hair. He let his arm go limp around Roxas' waist again, giving the back of Roxas' neck soft butterfly kisses as he closed his eyes to resume his nap. Roxas couldn't contain the content smile that made it's way to his lips as he continued with Algebra 2 homework. They stayed like this for about ten minutes longer, then the door swung open to announce the arrival of the other students in his class, the hallways buzzing with activity. Roxas glanced over his shoulder a little to see if it had awakened Axel, but judging how Axel had become deadweight, he figured the Preta had fallen asleep again. He was about to finish his very last equation when a hand slapped down on top of his notebook, french manicured fingers blocking his pencil's desired destination.

"You cut lunch to finish homework?" Kairi asked almost distastefully.

"Yeah, I'd rather not get detention this afternoon, thanks." Roxas replied irritably, but he tried to stay nice. He looked up at the auburn haired girl before him, with Olette and Xion both standing both sides of her with equally sheepish smiles.

"We were looking for you, though, we wanted to ask you something." Kairi smiled.

"Ask then, I'm not going anywhere." Especially with Axel clinging to him like he was. He couldn't stand up even if he wanted to.

"_Well_..." Kairi dragged out the word, glancing to the two girls at her sides before looking back at him with an attempted puppy dog pout. "We wanted to know if you would come with us to the mall this weekend to go prom dress shopping before Spring Break next week."

"Dress shopping?" Roxas frowned with a perked brow. "Kairi, prom is a month away from now."

"So? If we buy them early, we'll beat the rush!"

"I dunno..." Roxas said uncertianly as his thumb picked at the eraser of his pencil absently.

"Come on, Roxas." Kairi pleaded, knitting her fingers together and held her joined hands at her chest. "Pleassseee?"

"You always come with us." Olette chimed in.

"That's because you say you need a guy's opinion and you buy me food." Roxas replied dryly.

"Exactly!"

"Why don't you just ask Hayner or Pence?"

"Because they would never go for it." Kairi rolled her eyes. "They still think girls have cooties." Roxas huffed as he hung his head in defeat. There was no way he was going to get out of this without hurting their feelings. He would rather choke himself with a spoon then go dress shopping, and he was afraid that Axel would try to pull a stunt similiar to when he had disguised himself as Olette. Then again, there was free food. And Roxas was still a guy. Guys like food. Especially if it's free on his part.

"Fine." Roxas looked back up at the trio of girls at his desk. Kairi and Olette squealed in delight, and Xion only giggled softly at Roxas' agreement. The squeals must have stirred the sleeping Preta behind him, because Axel growled irritably into the base of Roxas' neck and turned his head to the opposite side in an attempt to escape the high pitch sounds, Axel's spiky locks settling on Roxas' neck uncomfortably. As casually as he was able, he brushed one of the spikes out of his face to keep it from tickling his nose.

"Thanks, Roxas! We'll see you tomorrow, then!" Kairi rushed her farewell as she quickly shuffled out of the classroom to attend her proper class. Olette and Xion shared this period's math class with Roxas, so Olette trotted away to her seat in the row in front of Roxas, two desks to the left, and then Xion took the seat beside Roxas'. Xion only shared three classes with Roxas, and in two of those three, she sat beside him.

"What was that?" Axel grumbled lazily, turning his head again so his face lay against the back of Roxas' neck again. Roxas paused to sputter a red hair or two that flipped onto his lips during the quick transition.

"I've sold my soul." Roxas sighed as he looked down at his homework, seeing that he only missed doing the last problem, so he figured he would survive. Axel's head abruptly lifted from behind him.

"Huh?" Axel blinked a few times to clear his vision and to try to properly grasp what Roxas meant by 'selling his soul.'

"I've been talked into going dress shopping with Kairi and the others this weekend." Roxas attempted to explain, but it was all jibberish once it reached Axel's ears.

"Since when do you wear dresses?" Axel asked cautiously.

"Not me!" Roxas said sharply, turning his head over his shoulder to give the Preta a weird look. "For them! They want to go prom dress shopping and they're dragging me along."

"Aw. That's too bad." Axel pouted through half lidded eyes. "You got me all excited, seeing you in a dress."

"If I could slap you, believe me, I would." Roxas hissed, unamused.

"That was a compliment!"

"No, it isn't."

"Whatever." Axel yawned softly, then laid his forehead on Roxas' shoulder to drift back to sleep and dream of Roxas' wearing dresses. It sounded like a good idea to him, at least. He was about to close his eyes when he saw a black converse out of the corner of his right eye. Turning his head slightly, he saw the black converse lead to a pale, skinny ankle. Against his better judgement, he peeked over his arm and saw that Xion had somehow entered into the room without his knowledge, and once their eyes met his shoulders became tense and rigid. Xion quickly looked away, looking down at her lap and fiddling with the zipper of her plain grey sweater that looked about a size or two too big. It was very clear that she was anxious, almost afraid to look him in the eye. The Preta gave an amused snort before resting his chin on Roxas' shoulder, the class beginning to settle down once the teacher came in and shut the door behind him.

"I'm bored." Axel announced out of nowhere.

"That's great." Roxas whispered, wiggling his shoulder a little to shift Axel's pointy chin away from a particularly ticklish spot on the top of his shoulder.

"I'd still like to test my 'oily hair' theory." He mused.

"You're seriously still ragging on Xion?"

"Yes."

"Why? She hasn't done anything to you." _That's what you think, _Axel thought to himself with a frown, but it didn't last long, because it instantly did a backflip into a grin as he was struck with an idea.

"You're right, Roxas." Axel said submissively as he squeezed the teen a little tighter. "I'm just being a huge jerk. Forgive me?" Roxas took a moment to catch the breath that had been squeezed out of him by surprise. Now he was even more concerned than before. Axel rarely ever apologized for anything.

"You're bullshitting."

"No I'm not. I'm totally serious." With that, Axel could see out of the corner of his eye that their quiet conversation had caught Xion's attention. That's exactly what he wanted. He then started to nuzzle into Roxas' neck affectionately on the opposite side from where his head had been resting so that Xion could get a better view of what was going on. "Please?"

"Fine." Roxas muttered, trying to sound more angry then he actually was. The sudden nuzzling caught him completely off gaurd, but he couldn't really do anything to acknowledge how he was somewhat enjoying the contact. But Axel didn't need his word, he quickly found out not too long after their clock tower episode that Roxas was a complete sucker when it came to sweet, affectionate gestures such as this one. It explained why he didn't complain too much whenever Axel started combing his hair with his long fingers, whether it was for meal time or just because. He looked over at Xion coyly, the short haired female giving him a cautious, questioning look, like one would use when they see a very weird looking animal.

When Axel started brushing his lips against the nape of his neck, Roxas felt a chill run down his spine. He wasn't kissing, just letting his lips brush very gently over his neck as he hovered just above the exposed skin, blowing his warm breath onto the back of his neck gently. The blonde was finding it difficult to listen to the teacher's explanation of sines and cosines with Axel teasing him like that. He cleared his throat, hoping to get Axel to stop, but the result was completely opposite. He felt Axel give the back of his neck one extremely slow lick, the chills transforming into shutters with the touch his tongue. Roxas had a thought that Axel was about to attempt to eat his hair right off of his head.

"Um..." Roxas choked out softly, wondering if he should try to ask for a bathroom break, but he knew this particular teacher would rather let his students piss their pants then miss a single moment of his 'academically enriching' lectures. Having heard Roxas' uncertianty, Axel continued, kissing his way down the slightly tan skin and then licking his way back to the top. Xion was fixated on Axel's little show, completely mortified and disturbed. He could tell he was pissing her off, and he was almost enjoying that more than the taste of Roxas' skin, but only almost. He was just glad he had no intention of eating Roxas, or this wouldn't end well. There were moments when his nose brushed against Roxas' hair that he felt the tiniest glimmer of temptation, but he didn't act on it.

Axel decided to take it up another level. At the base of Roxas' neck where his neck connected to his shoulders, Axel kissed the tender flesh lightly before parting his lips and started nipping. His nipping quickly transitioned into planting his teeth into Roxas' skin, sucking at the quivering flesh beneath his tongue. At this point, Roxas couldn't stand it anymore. His right hand shot up so quickly that he lost his grip on his pencil, the utensil flying forward a few rows before rolling around on the floor.

"Excuse me, but can I please go to the bathroom?" Roxas asked anxiously, trying to ignore the tingling sensation currently on his neck. The math teacher looked over his shoulder to Roxas and gave him an irritated glare.

"Mr. Grimm," he addressed the agitated student. "I thought I made it clear last semester that if you needed a restroom break, you were to go before-"

"I know, but this is an _emergency_!" Roxas stressed his urgency without trying to look as desperate as he felt with an invisible demon latched to his neck, full intention on giving a hickey. Roxas was about ready to leave the classroom anyway until the teacher rolled his eyes with an irritated growl.

"Make it quick." Roxas practically lunged out of his seat, eager lips prying away from his reddening flesh and leaving a small dabble of spit on Axel's chin. He threw back his head and started laughing as Roxas fled from the classroom in a flustering fit. He had so been wanting to do that for a long time now.

"That was absolutely disgusting." Xion snarled under her breath as she turned up her nose at the laughing Preta beside her.

"Awwww, someone's jealous." Axel twittered victoriously as he scooted the chair back a little, propping his legs up on the desk in front of him.

"You realize what you're doing is completely-"

"I don't give a rat's ass about anything you have to say." Axel turned his head sharply to look at the female beside him. "What I do is my business. I'm stuck like this for the next hundred years or so, why not have a little fun if I fucking please?"

"So going around and sucking on boy's necks is your definition of fun?"

"As a matter of fact, it is." Axel narrowed his eyes at Xion. "If you know so much about me, you'd know I'm about as queer as a bag of skittles."

"I did know that, actually." Xion sighed and shook her head, looking back down at her desk. "And to think I was considering apologizing to you."

"You're damn right you should apologize." Xion didn't reply right away, instead she continued to stare down at her desk, drumming her fingers on it's surface thoughtfully. Axel brushed off her silence, folding his arms behind his head and let out a yawn as he waited for Roxas to return and slap him over the head.

"I'll make a deal with you." Xion whispered suddenly, quiet enough that Axel almost didn't hear her. He didn't bother looking at her as she continued. "I'll apologize for the things I said a few days ago if you do a favor for me."

"You've got to be kidding me." Axel said scornfully. "You waltz in here, put innocent lives in danger, talk shit to me about how I should live my life and try to throw my past in my face, and now you want me to do you a favor?" He removed his right hand from behind his head and flipped her the bird. "You can kiss my ass."

"If you do, it will be benifitial." Xion tried to coax him. "How does a shortened sentence sound to you?" Axel's bright green eyes grew wide, turning his head to look at Xion.

"A shortened sentence, you say?" Axel was slightly intrigued. "I'm listening."

* * *

Roxas decided that it was only fair that he was able to fuck with Axel like he had done earlier in the day. After the math class incident, Roxas purposefully ignored him until late in the evening. The silence was driving the Preta crazy, but Roxas didn't care. He had a hickey on his neck that he literally couldn't explain, chalking it up as feverent scratching to a bug bite of some sort, and he wanted his revenge. Said revenge was achieved by not talking to Axel, not letting Axel touch him, not even acknowledging him. He knew it would drive Axel up the wall, and that's exactly what it did.

That evening, well around midnight, Roxas finally finished his weekend homework, letting out a sigh of releif as he reclined against his head board. Directly in front of him, slouched over the foot of the bed, was a very neglected and very unhappy Axel.

"You are being such a dick." Axel complained. Roxas only shrugged as he folded his fingers together and let them rest on his stomach. "Come onnnn, I said I was sorry almost a hundred times now! I'll say it again if I have to." But deafening silence rang in his ears. Axel growled irritably and turned over, his back facing Roxas, finally having lost his patience and resigned to nap at the foot of the bed if Roxas was going to keep acting like a jerk.

Roxas smiled, figuring that Axel's torture had been sucessfully executed, he crawled over his mountian of notebooks and textbooks to heave himself over Axel's stomach, making the Preta grunt in surprise. He tugged at Axel's side, turning him over so that he laid on his back, and laid down so that is head rested on Axel's stomach, looking up at him endearingly.

"I'm guessing you aren't mad at me anymore?" Axel asked as he ruffled the blonde's hair gently.

"I wasn't really all that mad at you to begin with. I was just messing with you." Roxas admitted. Axel scoffed.

"That's my thing." Axel grumbled. Roxas laughed a little as he nuzzled into Axel's stomach, hearing the occasional growl and grumble coming from it. "Fine then, if you aren't mad at me, then I'm not sorry, because I don't regret doing any of it."

"You were being such a damn tease." Roxas said, his tone becoming a little irritated. "I'll admit I liked it, but please, don't do it again when I'm in class. It was really embarassing."

"But I had fun." Axel pouted.

"I'm sure you did. But please don't."

"_Fine_." Axel sounded so put upon as he continued to stroke Roxas' hair absently, the teen laying on him feeling his eyes starting to grow a little heavy. It was midnight, and he had spent the last few hours doing every bit of his homework so he wouldn't be worrying about it while he was at the mall. Also, with Axel stroking his hair and occasionally rubbing behind his ear gently, he was starting to make Roxas feel sleepy.

"So...you're finished with homework?" Axel asked.

"Yep." Roxas said simply as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"And you really aren't mad at me?"

"Nope."

"And you're already ready for bed?"

"Yep." Axel quit with his ongoing questions, still rubbing on the area behind Roxas' ear thoughtfully as they entered a casual quietness between them. It was several minutes before either of them spoke again.

"...So...wanna make out?" Axel's brutal bluntness, like as if asking "How's the weather?" casually, made Roxas stifle a snicker. Axel lay on his back, waiting for a response. Roxas pretended to think on it for a few moments, then shifted around so that he laid right on top of Axel, his arms propped up on each side of Axel's face as he looked down at the smirking Preta beneath him.

"Okay." Roxas shrugged, and Axel quickly leaned up to capture the blonde's lips with his own, lacing his arms around his waist firmly, pushing Roxas back down so Axel laid back down on the bed. Roxas tilted his head to deepen the kiss, threading his fingers through Axel's spiky red hair. He had been wanting to touch Axel's hair for a while, but never really had the chance to do so. As wild as his hairstyle was, he figured that it was stiff and hard, because normal hair would only really stay that way if a gallon of hair gel was used. But Axel's hair was smooth, almost soft to the touch.

As they parted for mere seconds for a breath before diving back in, Roxas silently wondered if its gravity defying capabilities was due to him not exactly being human as he nibbled on Axel's lower lip gently. He felt Axel's lips contort into a sly grin beneath his nibbling, the redhead tugging away from the gentle grasp of Roxas' teeth and pushed him over so that now Axel lay on top of Roxas. The blonde felt his face flush as Axel kissed him deeply, letting his tongue slip past his lips to tickle Roxas' pouting lower lip to request for entrance. Roxas took a moment to adjust to the new position, letting his arms coil around Axel's neck to press him closer as he let his glazed over blue eyes close while their tongues clashed together. Axel purred as he explored his prey's mouth, the sound vibrating against Roxas' lips and made him tingle on the inside. This continued until they pulled away once again to catch their breath.

"Axel?" Roxas muttered hazily as the Preta pecked his lips several times gently.

"Hm?" Axel replied in between the small kisses.

"Do you think..." Roxas spoke as Axel moved to his chin, kissing along Roxas' jawline. "You could come to the mall with me this weekend?" Axel paused, hovering over the spot on his neck just under his earlobe. He felt a rush of warm breath as Axel gave a short chuckle.

"That's a dumb question. Of course I'm going with you."

"Well I know_ that_," Roxas glanced off to the side with a huff. "I meant like..." he had to stop for a moment as Axel's lips reached a weak spot on his neck, upon hearing the teen gasp as he touched it, he grinned devilishly and latched onto it in a similar fashion like he did earlier, his teeth gripping the slightly tan skin as he sucked and licked harshly. Roxas writhed beneath him, whimpering as he felt a familiar heat begin to pool in his stomach. He wanted to try to get Axel to stop so he wouldn't have two hickeys that he would have to explain to his parents, but when he opened his mouth the only thing that came out were mewls of pleasure.

Axel's teeth withdrew from Roxas' neck, licking the beet red hickey on his neck before pulling away a little to flash Roxas' with an innocent smile, tilting his head to the side. "You were saying?"

"You're suck a jerk."

"You only say that because you liked it." Axel narrowed his eyes playfully as he poked at Roxas' stomach. "Come on, you know you liked it, admit it." Roxas swelled up and turned his head away, not wanting to give in to Axel's taunting. Axel shook his head with amusement before kissing his temple. "Okay, really, what were you saying?"

"I meant like..." Roxas sounded like a kid that was trying to covertly ask for a puppy. "people seeing you go with me."

"I don't follow." Axel scrunched his brows together in confusion.

"You know, how you let Hayner and Xion and the others see you when you were pretending to be Olette?" Roxas said sheepishly. "Like going and letting people see you...with me." Roxas knew that if Axel agreed, he couldn't let the Preta be all affectionate with him like he was being now. They would have to go as regular friends who didn't share the same bed and kiss and watch the sunset together behind the scenes. It would be really weird to explain Axel to his friends if they didn't. Which brought him to the question; was he gay?

Roxas hadn't thought about it up until now. Girls were hot, he knew that, and he was certian he had never checked out a guy before. But with Axel, it was just different. He couldn't really explain why he liked Axel as much as he did, but whatever it was, it set him apart from any other guy Roxas had ever known.

Axel bit the inside of his cheek as he contemplated Roxas' question.

"I don't know, Roxas..." Axel said with uncertianty, his fingers combing through his red locks. "I told you something like that takes alot of energy out of me. You saw how tired I was with just five people, and you're asking me to do it with almost hundreds. Besides, I don't think I'm allowed to do that kind of thing." Axel didn't want to risk tempting the laws that had been laid out for him as a Preta. Not that he hadn't already broken a few, but he had to pick up the slack somewhere since he wasn't gaining any more brownie points for redemption.

"Oh." Roxas replied, sounding a bit dissapointed, looking down a little so he didn't meet Axel's gaze.

"Hey," Axel frowned a little, not wanting to see Roxas upset. He brought his hand to clutch Roxas' chin, making the blonde look up at him and leaned down to give him a thoughtful kiss. He rested his forehead against Roxas', nuzzling their noses together. "I would if I could, you know that. I'll still go, but you'll have to settle with me just being in the backround."

"I wish you didn't have to." Roxas said wistfully.

"I know." Axel sighed softly. "How about this, maybe one day later we can both go do something special to make up for it."

"Like what?"

"I have no idea." Axel admitted. "But we'll think of something. Okay?"

"Okay." Roxas answered, feeling a yawn start to tickle the back of his throat. The heat that he had felt in his stomach was starting to die off, and he was glad that it was, because he wasn't sure what would have happened if they had gone farther. He wasn't sure if he wanted it to go that far yet, either. He tried to contain his yawn, but Axel caught sight of it as he sat upright and looked down at the blonde beneath him.

"Bed time?" Axel asked simply. Roxas nodded through his yawn, and Axel moved off of him so Roxas could sit back up and push all of his textbooks and whatnot onto the floor so they could get in the bed. After a series of loud thuds, Roxas pried the comforter out of it's neat position and climbed in under the blankets, Axel quickly joining him in their usual spots. Axel heaved a relaxed sigh as he stretched out, about to turn over and nuzzle his face into Roxas' sweet smelling blonde hair...

Until a squealing yowl made them both jump out of their skins.

* * *

_**Woooo! **_

**_The classroom scene was inspired by Bee's (BeehiveOneThreeOneZer0) fanart of this story. You better go to my profile and look at it the link. Favorite it. NOW. I SAID NOW, DAMMIT._**

_**I'm happy to inform you that I'm currently making another yaoi smothered smut infested oneshot. No, it's not a third installment to my Playhouse series, but I'm still thinking about that, anyway.**_

_**Just know there be smut comin' your way! Yeah. **_

_**Hehe...this chapter was a tad bit on the steamy side, yes? Well, no sex for you! Not yet, at least. But we'll get there. Axel's rubbing his hands together evily as he plots his "Operation Mission Plan Seduce." muahahahaha.**_

_**Reviews be loved. *heart.*  
**_


	15. The Organization

_**A/N: Ahhh, another late night update... updates might not be daily for a week or so, due to strenuous work, but just know I'll update whenever I can asap.**_

* * *

"What the fuck was that?" Roxas said quietly, as if whatever it was, it was about to jump through his window and kill them both. The yowl they had heard was unlike anything he had ever heard before, not the normal tomcat's wail or dog howling, but like a person wailing in fear.

"I don't know." Axel replied, throwing off the covers and quickly getting to his feet. Once his feet touched the floor, a sickening chill shocked his spine. An overwhelming sense of uneasiness came over the Preta, a familiar unsettling feeling that he had felt when he had first encountered Saïx. Axel feared that the blue haired menace had returned to finish where they had left off. He heard the sheets rustle behind him, and threw out a hand towards the blonde that was already halfway out of the bed. "No, stay in the bed."

"I don't want to." Roxas protested. Axel shot a glare at him over his shoulder that stopped Roxas in mid-stance.

"I didn't fucking ask if you wanted to, I said stay in the bed." Axel snarled. "You have no idea what might be out there, just like when you practically threw yourself in front of Saïx."

"Neither do you!"

"I have a better idea then you do. Don't argue with me, Roxas, just stay in the bed and let me take care of it." _It's not like you could do anything anyway_, Axel had almost said, but he managed to catch himself before it slipped. Hurt reflected in the teen's blue eyes, and it almost tore Axel apart to see it, but he wasn't going to put Roxas in danger like he had done the first time. He had a promise he had to keep. Axel sighed and ruffled his red hair anxiously. "Look, it'll be alright. Just stay here and go back to sleep. I'll be right there beside you when you wake up in the morning. I promise." Roxas gritted his teeth, pissed off at Axel, because he was most likely going to end up fighting again, and at himself, because if that were to happen, there was nothing he could do to help. He was only human. Unsatisfied and upset, Roxas sat back on the bed and growled as he laid back down, his back to the redhead.

"You better be." Roxas replied in an almost threatening manner, not turning his head to look at Axel. The Preta wanted to make some sort of smartass comment about Roxas' threatening tone, but another pained yowl brought his attention back on track. Instead, he only gave an amused smile.

"Yes sir." Axel chuckled as he portaled from Roxas' bedroom in a swirling mass of black and purple.

His short departure lead him to the rooftop of the house, the crecent moon high above his head in the sky, the town's bright city lights preventing the stars from shining at their full glory. A bitter breeze blew, only reminding him of the impending danger he felt swelling in his chest. He looked around, acidic green eyes scanning over each rooftop, each tree, along the powerlines, everywhere that he could see, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Axel quickly figured that he would have to wait for the yowl once more to be able to locate the source of the problem. Nervous fingers twitched anxiously as he started to walk the perimeter of the rooftop, listening for the faintest cry or whimper as embers danced between his spider-like digits.

Suddenly, he saw a hooded figure break forth from the bushes that seperated Roxas' yard from their neighbors, and without hesitating, Axel summoned his chakrams with wheels of fire on his palms, certian that this stranger that was sprinting from the bushes towards the house was the source of the yowling, coming at him for an ambush. There was no doubt about it; it had to be Saïx.

"Here for round two?" Axel sneered as he twirled one of his chakrams in his palms, waiting for the right moment to strike. Once the oncoming Preta was in range, Axel quickly launched himself from the rooftop, sailing towards his opponent with his trusty dual weapons poised for action. "Then draw your weapon and fight me!"

The Preta happened to look up at just the right moment to see Axel careening towards them. Thinking fast, the speeding stranger dug his heels into the ground to bring his sprint to a halt. Axel grinned wickedly, already giving himself a mental pat on the back for sucessfuly decapitating the intruder. But as he swung his arm to deliver the death blow, metal clashed together with a sickening squeal, making his ears ring. He tumbled forward, bringing himself quickly to his feet and turning to face the hooded stanger, and he immediately knew that he had made a mistake. He was expecting the large, blue and yellow Claymore that was weilded by Saïx, but instead, the much longer weapon that the Preta was weilding in his right hand that was draped over his shoulder was an elegant looking scythe. It's long, stem-like handle was pastel green, it's dangerous blade a rosy pink color. Whoever it was, it definately wasn't Saix.

"That was certianly uncalled for." The stranger said in a familiar monotonous voice.

"Is that you, Pinky?" Axel asked with a guffaw, though on the inside, he was mentally kicking himself for not paying closer attention. He could have killed this innocent vagabond and not realized it!

"I thought I asked you not to call me that." Marluxia growled sternly, his gloved fingers drumming the handle of his scythe irritably. "I come to see what was the matter with a casual aquaintance, and this is the welcome I get?"

"I wouldn't have jumped you like that if I knew it was you." Axel replied, letting his arms go limp at his sides, though keeping his grip in his chakrams, seeing that Marluxia had not yet recalled his own weapon. He couldn't be too careful. "I couldn't tell with your hood up like that."

"I suppose that's justified." Marluxia nodded sagely, his fingers uncoiling from his weapon's handle, the scythe phazing out into a flurry of beautiful sakura blossom petals with a soft _poof_ noise. Axel bit the edge of his lips to refrain from snickering. He may be gay, but with a weapon like that, he was sure Marluxia was more flaming than he was. Too bad his dull voice and his pink hair were huge turnoffs, even if it did look cool.

"I guess you're here because of the yowling?" Axel took a shot in the dark, his own chakrams dispersing in clouds of smoke and flames of fire. The hooded Preta before him nodded.

"As a matter of fact, yes." Marluxia explained as he pushed back his hood, settling on his shoulders as he flipped his bubblegum locks and combed through it to settle any frazzled strands resulting from the hood. "I rushed here to tell you that your blonde friend is in a bit of trouble."

"Who, Roxas?" Axel asked, feeling his shoulders grow tense again.

"Oh, no no, not the human." Marluxia shook his head. "I mean your other friend, the mullet-headed one who stopped by here not too long ago."

"Demyx?" The concern in Axel's voice completely vanished, his tone becoming dry as he folded his arms at his chest. "Serves him right then."

"I beg your pardon?" Marluxia perked a pink brow. "You have no concern for your friend at all?"

"He isn't really that much of a friend anyway." Axel shrugged. _Especially after talking shit to Roxas like he did. _

"I can't believe you would be so selfish as to let your dear friend suffer."

"If it's such a big deal, then why didn't you help him?" Axel frowned.

"Because it's none of my business. The only reason I knew to come to you was because he was calling out for you." Marluxia shook his head and turned his back on the redhead. "He was being chased by another Preta, whom I'm sure is the source of this impending doom that lingers in the air around us. But if you are so reluctant to help, I suppose he will come to his untimely death very soon. The poor soul." Another haunting yowl, whose source Axel could finally put a face on, rang in his ears and pulled on his guilt strings. Axel's indifference towards the meek mullet head was starting to shift into pity.

"Hey." Axel said, looking at Marluxia. "I know we aren't exactly best buddies in the world, but can I trust you to stay here and make sure nothing happens to this house?" He didn't know Marluxia very well, but from what Axel could tell, the flamboyant Preta was not a threat to him or to Roxas. He normally wouldn't ask a stranger for something like this, but he needed someone to watch over Roxas while he went to Demyx's aid.

"Of course." Marluxia replied matter of factly. "This _is_ the only place I can get my hands on roses for at least 30 miles, after all."

"Great." Axel narrowed his eyes. "But I swear, if I come back and anything is missing or out of place, I'll rip you to shreds. Got it memorized?"

"No need to be so violent." Marluxia frowned as he walked past Axel, coming to sit on the top step of the porch and fold one leg over the other, resting his hands in his lap. "All will be well, I assure you." His rosy lips twitched slightly, and Axel caught sight of what looked like a smile. Something in the back of his mind made him ask himself if asking Marluxia to stay was a bad idea, but he didn't have much time to think about it when he heard Demyx's blood curdling scream. Without any sort of goodbye, Axel took off.

The park was only a few blocks away from where Roxas lived, so Axel didn't have to travel very far. He hadn't heard anything since Demyx's scream, so the only thing he had to go on was that Demyx was most likely at the park. With the city park's gates in view, Axel portaled the rest of the way to save him a few seconds of running. The ominous air around him was almost suffocating, so he knew he must be close. There was no one around, as far as Axel could see, not even the occasional hooker practically eating a potential customer's face, or the cutesy romantic couple on their way back from their date. The eerie glow that the streetlights casted onto the pavement wasn't very inviting, either. Axel was on high gaurd as he walked along the sidewalk with a quickened pace, because he knew that he could be ambushed by Saïx or another one of those Asura butt-kissers at any moment.

In fact, he was so focused on what was going on around him that he didn't pay much attention to what was _below_ him. He jerked forward as he tripped over something that was obstructing his path, cursing under his breath as he regained his balance. He turned around to identify what he had tripped over, and it was very unusual, to say the least. He had tripped over what looked like a very long and very large guitar, decorated in several shades of blue and several of it's strings broken and frayed at the edges. Along it's face, he could see several smeared blood streaks. It was then he noticed that on the sidewalk around the instrument were a series of high velocity blood splatters. Axel couldn't know for sure, since he had never seen Demyx fight before, but he took a gander that this beaten up instrument was Demyx's weapon. _Pretty lame, if you ask me_, he thought to himself. _I would be embarrased to fight too if I had that for a weapon. _His mental roasting of Demyx's guitar-thing was cut short by the sound of giggling.

Now, this giggling wasn't the kind of giggling that came from a baby or little girl, or a sexy giggle from a female villan, or the kind that came from creepy little children in horror movies just before they jump out and eat your brains. Perhaps if it was that kind, Axel would have been prepared for an attack similar to that. But no, this giggling was like a giddy teenaged schoolgirl, the kind that grates on your nerves like a flippin' cheese grater until you wanted to wring their short skirt wearing thin necks and tell them to shut the hell up. The complete opposite of what Axel was expecting.

"Well shoot, if I knew you were that cute, I would have skipped the middle man and hunted you down first." A female voice cooed from in front of him. Axel looked up to a wooden bench several yards away to see an unfamiliar Preta taking residence on said bench, laying on her stomach with her hands folded neatly under her chin as she inspected Axel up and down. The female Preta had short bright blonde hair, almost bright enough to be considered highlighter yellow, with two strands protruding from her crown like a pair of antennae. Her cherubic face clashed with the evil intent flashing in her emerald green eyes, an eerie smile upon her lips. She looked young, almost about Axel's age in terms of appearance, but nonetheless, Axel's first impression of her was utterly and completely annoying, despite the ominous aura surrounding her. Another deadbeat Preta.

"I'm sorry to dissapoint," Axel said smugly, though his expression reflected pure distaste. "but you aren't exactly my type."

"Oooh, so what _will _it take for me to be your type?" She teased, tilting her head to the side as she batted her eyelashes.

"If you got a dick in those panties of yours, then we'll talk."

"I see, so you're a flamer!" She recoiled slightly, giving a small pout as she fluidly rose to her feet. "But that just makes you all the more adorable!"

"I'm not in the mood for these stupid games." Axel deadpanned, clenching his fists at his sides. "Where's Demyx?"

"Who?" The female asked dumbly as she brought her index finger to her chin thoughtfully. "Oh, you mean that guy with the mullet, right?" She sighed overdramatically as she shook her head, putting her hands on her hips. "Why don't you take a look-see behind you?"

Axel hesitated breifly, not wanting to turn his back to this unfamiliar enemy, but after giving a casual glance over his shoulder, he had to do a full on double take as the breath was sucked right out of him, color draining from his face at the sight that met his eyes. A few feet away from the path that Axel had been walking on, the afterglow from the streetlight shining down upon the body of his friend, Demyx. Demyx was on his stomach, his half lidded sea green eyes were starting to cloud over, his face as white as a sheet aside from the splatters and streaks of blood on his face. Something was glittering along Demyx's backside, and upon further inspection, Axel saw that looked like a set of four electric yellow knives protruding from his back, the back of his coat torn and blood staining the black fabric, along with small pool that was forming on the grass beneath him. Axel feared for a moment that he was dead, but he could faintly hear a strained wheeze barely coming through the fallen Preta's lips. Demyx was not showing any signs of fading away, like all Pretas do at death, but Axel was certian that he was close.

Axel let out a snarl as he felt pain shoot through his side, quickly putting distance between him and the female Preta that had just stabbed him in the side with two more of her brightly colored knives. She giggled evily as she held up the knives close to her face, inspecting the fresh blood dripping from the blades before looking back up at him.

"All I wanted was for him to do me a little favor." She grinned as she rubbed her knives clean of Axel's blood with her sleeve. "If he would help me get you to come along with me, my boss was going to let him become a god." The woman clicked her tongue as she shook her head dissaprovingly. "But he was a fool, thinking that I would take no for an answer. Said something about not wanting to fight and betray his friend, blah blah blah." She suddenly brought her free hand to her face in a gasping expression.

"What the hell do you want with me?" Axel hissed as he clutched his side tightly until the first wave of pain began to disperse, summoning his chakrams as he prepared for a fight, hoping to finish this bitch off before it was too late for Demyx. As much of a pain Demyx was and had been for the last few weeks, Demyx was still a noteworthy person in his life. Demyx had taught him how to speak English properly, showed him around the northern United States, introducing him to the life he was going to make for himself. The more Axel thought about it, the more he realized he was an idiot. The times that Demyx had been around, he was nothing but nice to him, and helped him out when he needed it. And Axel could hardly remember to thank him for it most of the time. He had to help Demyx, even if he didn't approve of the lifestyle that Axel had adopted. "If you were looking for me, why did you sneak around after those who knew me? And who the fuck are you, anyway? !"

"Hmph, I'm not sure if I'm supposed to tell you...but seeing as it didn't really work out, I _guess_ I can tell you." The woman sighed exaspiratedly as she cocked her hip to the side. "The name's Larxene, and I guess you could probably tell I'm a buddy of Saïx's. As for what I want with you," A perverted grin flashed on her face. as she brought her empty hand to her cheek, and Axel could swear that she was blushing. "I want you to keep me warm at night, sweet cheeks."

"Okay, let me rephrase the question." Axel growled flatly, unamused with her perverted jokes, though he did make a mental note of that particular one to use against Roxas sometime. "What does your boss want with me?"

"Oh, you mean Xemnas?" Larxene rolled her eyes. "Pssh, not much, really, he just wants to let you in on the opprotunity of a lifetime, is all."

"And that would be?"

"My plan was to get your pussy of a friend here to join our ring of Pretas that are currently aiding the Asuras in an assault against the big guys upstairs so that he could convince you to get in on it too. I'm not completely sure why, but my boss has a very particular interest in you."

"Not interested." Axel replied simply, lunging forward to race towards Larxene at breakneck speed, the swipe of his left hand missing her by what seemed like inches as she dodged out of the way, but Axel thought fast and came at her with a swipe with his right, knocking Larxene off of her feet and sending her flying several yards away, landing in a very unflattering position with her ass hiked high up in the air. The blonde sputtered the grass and dirt that had found it's way into her mouth, tasting the coppery taste of blood along with it. She strugged to her feet, her mouth agape, and Axel could see a few trickles of blood pouring from her mouth, with several slashes from his chakrams along her cheeks.

"You son of a bitch." Larxene snarled, her fingers crackling with electricity in a menacing manner. "I was trying to be nice about it, but it seems like I'm going to have to kill you just like your little friend over there. Once we want you in, you either join or you die. Simple as that."

"I'll be the exception." Axel extended his chakrams outwards, then swiftly threw them towards Larxene, their pointed edges consumed in fire as they sailed towards the electrified Preta. She dodged them by leaping up high, the chakrams making their U-turn to return to their master, but just as they did, Larxene released a huge wave of electricity that engulfed the chakrams just before Axel's fingers made contact with their metal handles, causing the redhead to receive a painful jolt that rocketed through his very body, exiting through his feet on the ground. His pupils dilated as his heart rate sky rocketed, stumbling back and dropping one of his chakrams as he grasped at his chest to try to catch his breath, his entire body trembling from shock.

"How's that for you?" Larxene giggled as she landed in front of Axel, admiring her work. Axel glared at her though his pain. "Not really smart to use metal against me, you know?"

"I'd hate to see something happen to that pretty little face of yours." Axel breathed as he still tried to get a handle on his breathing. "I can't garuntee it'll stay pretty once I'm done with you."

"How sweet!" She cooed, delivering a swift kick into his abdomen, making him heave a dry gag as he fell back onto his ass. He couldn't react right away because his body was till trembling uncontrollably due to the shock he had experienced, so the response to block her kick with his hands was delayed long enough for the kick to make contact. "You called me pretty, I knew we would get somewhere with this."

"Doesn't mean I'm gonna join your glee club or whatever it is you're apart of." Axel spat hoarsely.

"Well then, how about I put it to you this way?" Larxene came up right in front of Axel and kicked him in the chest once more, another electric jolt sailing through his body as he fell back onto his back, his arms and legs refusing to cooperate with him as she dug her heel into his chest, making him gasp for breath as she leaned down to look at him smugly. "You come with me and join my Organization, and I can garuntee you that you will be able to see your precious little sister again." She twisted her heel into his flesh. "You'd like that, wouldn't you? To see her sweet little face again after of these years. Such a sweet reunion, no?" Axel couldn't believe what he was hearing. His face contorted into an expression of pain as she dug her heel into his chest.

"You're lying." Axel hissed breathlessly. "You don't know my sister."

"What makes you so sure of that?" Larxene questioned innocently. "How are you sure that she isn't in danger right now, either? You know full well her soul has been reborn, just like yours was. You wouldn't want anything to happen to your precious little Aerith, would you?" She shook her head sadly and gave him a hearbroken frown as she tossed her head back with her palm upon her forehead. "Are you really going to make me have to tell that sweet child that her brother would rather die than see her again, when she's waited so long to be able to be with you, and then slit her pretty little throat?" Axel tried to open his mouth to yell at her when she beared her weight down on her heel, making it difficult for him to breathe, and he began to hyperventilate.

Could it really be true? If he did as Larxene said and joined with this 'Organization,' would he really get to see Aerith again? The thought of hearing Aerith's voice, seeing her at his side once more, feeling her soft brunette hair as he held her tightly and seeing her smile made Axel's will falter.

_'I'll apologize for the things I said the other day if you do a favor for me.'_

Of all times, Axel could hear Xion's voice starting to ring in his ears, their conversation from earlier the day before resurfacing in his memory.

_'I need you to protect me.' Xion said simply. Axel sputtered and let out a hearty laugh._

_'Me, protect you?' He laughed. 'Why the hell would I want to protect you?'_

_'Because your's and Roxas' safety depends on it.' Xion's brows furrowed together as she looked at the Preta beside her with a serious face, Axel starting to quiet down as he saw the threatening look in her eyes. 'That's right, Roxas' very spiritual life is at stake here because of what's going on around here, and I need protection in order for me to fix it. So if you're going to be so reluctant to protect me because you hate me so much, why don't you do it to protect Roxas?'_

Protect Roxas. Wasn't that his original intention when he left Roxas' room earlier? Axel clenched his eyes shut as he hissed through his teeth, feeling the numbness in his fingers slowly starting to fade. Now was his chance. He sucked in what little breath he could, and quickly launched his left leg upwards to nail Larxene in the small of her back so hard that she yelped in both surprise and pain, tripping over herself and falling flat on her face. Axel shuffled out from beneath her legs and sat on Larxene's back, pinning her arms beneath his knees as he yanked her roughly by her hair, causing her to growl as he placed on the the pointed edges of his chakram against her smooth, ivory neck.

"As tempting as your offer is," Axel said through his sparatic breathing. "I made a promise that I'd be the first thing my best friend sees when he wakes up in the morning. I'm fully intent on keeping that promise." Larxene snarled and writhed beneath him, but her jerking around did her no good.

"Really? That would be a first, actually following through on your promises." Larxene hissed menacingly. "What about all the promises you made to Aerith? Like promising you'd both make it out of that shithole of a concentration camp alive? You can see how that ended very badly."

"You have no right to try to use my sister as some bargianing chip, you worthless piece of shit." Axel had been leanient on Saix when it came to not wanting to kill him, but as he dragged the blade of his chakram against her throat, her sickening cry was like music to his ears. Even though he wanted to believe that this would silence her for good, he knew it was going to take much more than this to kill a Preta. At least it would get her to shut up until someone came to her aid, whoever it was that would in her 'Organization.' Speaking of coming to someone's aid...

When Larxene became unconcious, Axel released his grip on her hair, letting her head fall to the ground with a thunk as he staggered to his feet and booked it over to Demyx, who still lay on the ground, the pool of blood beneath him having become significantly larger. Axel quickly glanced over his wounds, which were were much more of them now that he could see up close, and tried to think fast on what to do. Demyx was the healer, not him. He figured the best place to start would be to get Larxene's knives out of his back.

He grabbed two knives in each hand, and after silently counting to three, he quickly pulled them out of Demyx's backside, the male before him letting out a wheeze as he was freed from the weapons. His cloudy eyes slowly blinked, his breathing still very shallow.

"Axel...?" Demyx breathed hoarsely.

"Shut up, don't talk." Axel commanded as he threw the knives to the side, placing his hands over the worst of Demyx's wounds and applying pressure to attempt to stop the bleeding. He heard Demyx wheeze again under the pressure.

"You really...came...?"

"Of course, you idiot," Axel replied irritably. "now I said shut the fuck up, or you're gonna make this harder then it has to be, because I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Figures..." Demyx sighed as he drew his eyes to a close. "Just keep doing what you're doing...it'll stop eventually..." Axel felt stupid for having to let Demyx walk him through this when he was on the very edge of fading, but he had absolutely nothing else to go on.

"Look, Dem..." Axel said as he continued to press down on the bleeding gashes in Demyx's back, figuring that it was going to take a while. "I'm sorry for giving you the cold shoulder as much as I do, okay?"

"You're getting sentimental on me...?" Demyx tried to chuckle, but it resulted in a coughing fit. "That's really unlike you..."

"See, you're only making things worse, so stop talking!" Axel snapped, pressing down harder. "I'm not sentimental, I'm just freakin' apologizing! I honestly didn't want to come and help you at first, but then I realized how much of a dick I was being. So be thankful I'm here, or your ass would literally be grass right now." Demyx only grunted, holding his tongue as he waited to see if he was going to die tonight or if he was going to be allowed to live.

Axel racked his brain as he tried to remember how to use Cure, the technique Demyx always used when tending to Axel's wounds. Axel knew he could do it, but he couldn't remember how. He thought Demyx had tried to show him once, but Axel brushed him off, telling him he could fend for himself and tough it out. Now he needed it, and he kicked himself for not paying attention. After concentrating on it for a while, Axel's palms would breifly flicker a soft blue color, but just as he would get excited about getting it, it would dissapear again. This game of tag was played for almost twenty minutes before Demyx finally shooed him away.

"Stop, you've done enough." Demyx said as he opened his eyes again. "You really suck at it, but at least you stopped the bleeding. I'll just sleep here for a while and tend to it myself when I wake up."

"You sure?" Axel said, taking his hands away from Demyx's back to look it over. He was right, Axel had sucessfully used Cure long enough to clot the bleeding, but it was still far from being healed. He didn't want to leave Demyx alone in case something were to happen again.

"Yeah, I'm okay, really...just go home..." Demyx assured him, feeling tired and letting out a soft yawn. "And thanks for coming to help me...it really means alot to me, Axel...especially since I haven't been a really good friend lately."

"You're welcome, I guess." Axel replied, looking over his shoulder at Larxene, but was surprised to see that the annoying blonde woman was nowhere to be seen. Axel wasn't too concerned, because the ominous presence she had brought with her was gone as well, so he knew she was gone. For now, at least. He brought himself to his feet, his knees still feeling a bit unsure, but he figured he could get home. "Goodnight then."

"Night..." Demyx muttered, feeling thankful for Axel's sympathy as the redhead moved back onto the sidewalk. He heard Axel walk a few steps before pausing. Demyx sighed irritably. "No, Axel, it's not a guitar, it's a sitar, yes, there's a difference. I'll tell you later. Goodnight." Axel turned his head to look back at Demyx with wide eyes. How did he do that? Well, at least he got his answer. He did want to check up on Demyx in the morning to see how he was doing, so he noted as he stepped over said sitar to pay him a visit when he woke up the next morning.

For whatever reason, Axel actually walked home. He didn't run, portal, or anything else overly fancy. He walked along the street, his mind deeply lost in thought as he made his way back to the house. Once he made it to the front yard, he noticed that Marluxia was nowhere to be found. Most likely, he either bailed or he was tending to the rose bushes in the back yard. It was at the front porch steps that Axel finally allowed himself to teleport back into Roxas' bedroom. He breathed an audible sigh of releif as he looked at the bed, and found Roxas still sleeping soundly in the bed, somehow having turned around at some point since Axel had left so that he was facing the window, and facing Axel. His face was so peaceful that it pulled on Axel's heart strings.

He was about to dive into the bed when he got a glimpse at his gloves, which were completely soiled in blood. Letting out a yawn that reflected just how tired he was, he peeled the soiled gloves off of his hands and let them fall to the floor. It was then he got a look at his coat, and it too was covered in blood. Axel felt conflicted as he looked from his coat, to the bed, and then to Roxas, and then to his coat again. Axel had told Roxas that he couldn't remove his coat because he wasn't allowed to, and that was partially true; the coat was like a fingerprint, a way to identify Pretas from any other spiritual life form, hence why all Pretas wore the same black trenchcoats, black gloves, pants, and boots. But he was allowed to take it off for a small period of time. There were two reasons why Axel didn't want to; one was because taking off the coat left him vulnerable, because the source of his power came from the coat itself, and second was because he was extremely self concious about his body. He almost considered sleeping on the floor, but he bit his tongue as he remembered the promise he had made to Roxas.

Axel reluctantly peeled the garmet away from his body, letting it fall to the floor as he looked down at his abused torso. It was very thin, his chest and back littered with assorted scars, some as small as a fingernail and some as long as his arm, especially the scar going from right under his left armpit and spiraling down the left side of his back. These somewhat gruesome scars were other reminders of his suffering at the concentration camp. He may have been turned into a Preta, but his body almost stayed the same, aside from having his hair back and being very skinny, but skinny enough that it wasn't almost painful to look at like he had once been.

Fatigue was coming at him hard and fast. He didn't brood over his beaten body too long, and carefuly slid himself into bed beside Roxas, looking down at the blonde's sleeping face. It almost hurt to look at him. The longer he did, the more Axel realized that Roxas looked just like the ghost of his past. He could feel anger and resentment swelling in his chest, but not towards Roxas, but himself. As he coiled an arm around Roxas' sleeping frame and held him close, the teen let out a sharp breath that tickled the Preta's bare chest, curling up next to him. Axel buried his face into his golden hair, taking in it's sweet smelling scent as he let his eyes drift to a close. After his stomach stopped screaming at him, he could feel himself slowly start to drift off into sleep.

_I'll see you again one day, Aerith._ Axel thought to himself just before he finally zoned out. _I just hope when I do, you'll forgive me for all I've done and smile for me._

* * *

_**Lalalalalalalala...**_

_**Reviews, yes? **_


	16. Bad Feelings

As the fog grew thicker as she acended higher, Naminé tried her best to carefully navigate through the winding summit of Pure Abode. She had never tried to approach the gods before, so she had no idea what to expect. Her six petite wings were beginning to grow very tired, and Naminé feared that they would give out before she reached the summit. It seemed like she had been flying for almost a half hour already. If she lived in the highest point of Pure Abode that an angel could possibly live in, just how much higher is the peak?

Naminé couldn't fly anymore. She had to rest somewhere. She couldn't see where she was going through the thick, cloudy fog around her. She halted her acent, pausing to hover as she withdrew a small paint brush from a small white leather satchel that was slung over her shoulder that contained all of her artistic devices. She brought the brush to her lips, inserting it between her lips breifly to let the soft bristles brush against her tongue. After withdrawing it from her mouth, she began to paint on the air before her. With agile strokes of her wrists, she quickly constructed a fire fly, though it's actual size was extremely exaggerated, about the size of a bird. The lines she painted were black as ink, but as she connected the final stroke, her creation came to life, the blank areas between the lines filling themselves with color. With a touch on the bug's backside, the bug illuminated the area around Naminé with a bright, yellow light. Scooping up the fire fly in her arms, she cautiously began to move forward, using the light to look for any sign of land in which she could take a breif rest upon.

Her wings were aching with a dull pain, and she began to grow nervous. She had to find somewhere to rest before her wings gave out. She was not used to flying such long distances; she was the Angel of Prayer, after all, her vessels did most of her work for her. It wasn't that she was lazy, but she alone couldn't possibly handle the millions of prayers that seep through the geyser every day.

At last, Naminé finally spotted the rocky walls of the Pure Abode mountians. She quickly scoped out an alcove in the mountian's side, and landed safely. She folded her aching wings close to her form, and gave her little firefly a praising pat on it's head before releasing it to go about it's own way. It would be able to find it's way back to her castle. The angel sighed tiredly as she sat down, letting her legs drape over the alcove's edge as she folded her hands in her lap, attempting to go through the speech she had created in her head for when she was face to face with the highest authority. She had to somehow convince them of the Asura's evil intentions while treading lightly enough as to not question their all-powerful judgement. All of her lifetimes of purity will be null and void if she dared to anger them. The thought made her cringe.

_Am I truly doing the right thing?_ Naminé asked herself as her thumbs twiddled anxiously, the blonde angel looking down at her lap. _I'm almost certian that the Asuras are up to no good...but perhaps I should have told one of Heaven's generals about my suspicions? Would they have believed me? _Despite her high ranking in Heaven's public society, she still had the appearance of a meek, frail child. If she went to speak to the generals about a possible invasion, they would most likely stifle a laugh and tell her to get back to work and leave the warfare and peacekeeping to them. Naminé withdrew from the edge of the mountian and retreated into the deepest part of the alcove to rest until she was able to fly again, her mind still heavy with thoughts and doubts.

* * *

***Week 4, Day 31, Saturday***

_It's been a long time coming _

_Yes it's been a long time coming _

_It's been a long time coming _

_Been so long but I gotta shine my rusty halo~_

Roxas growled in annoyance as the sound of his cellphone ringing stirred him from his sleep. It was Saturday morning, who would dare wake him up so early for no reason? Still partially stuck in dream land, Roxas mechanically turned over and laid his hand upon his Voyager that lay just on the bed's edge, just like with any other high school teenager that had their cellphone on their person at all times.

"Someone better be dying." Roxas grumbled sleepily as he pressed the 'Send' button to answer the call. "What?"

"Aren't you just full of happiness and sunshine this morning." Roxas heard a female voice retort bitterly. It sounded alot like Kairi.

"What time is it?"

"Ten in the morning." Kairi replied. "I figured you'd be up by now."

"I don't get up until noon on the weekends. I told you this last time you called me early."

"Wait...you did?"

"Uh huh."

"Oh..." Kairi giggled innocently. "My bad. But anyways, are you still up for dress shopping with us today? We were all going to meet at the mall at lunch time."

"You're still buying me food, right?" Roxas as he rubbed his eyes tiredly, not having opened them up since he was so rudely awakened.

"Yeah."

"Then yes. I'll see you then."

"Okay, byeeeee!" Roxas huffed as he heard a click on the other line, and dropped his phone back down on the bed and turned back over to return to his comfortable, warm position he had been sleeping in. As he turned over, his cellphone slipped off of the side of the bed and fell to the floor, startling him and making him jerk awake, his eyes shooting open at the loud noise. It was then he became aware that Axel was in the bed as well, because he too was startled by the falling cellphone and bolted upright.

"What was that, what happened?" Axel demanded, his unkempt hair flailing around as he looked around the room suspiciously.

"Calm down, it was just my phone." Roxas groaned as he laid his head back down, but his eyes grew wide as he touched something wet on his sheets. He lifted his head to get a better look, and saw that he had stuck his hand on a large bloody streak across his bed where Axel had been sleeping. "What the fuck? !"

"Huh?" The Preta turned his head to see the blonde teen giving him that angry/dissapointed glare, and upon seeing the blood on the sheets, he realized he had made a big boo-boo. He must have been so tired earlier in the morning after his fight with Larxene that he had completely forgotten about his own wounds on his side from where he had been stabbed. "Oh..."

Roxas made disgusted noises as he got out of the bed and stumbled through his room, using his clean hand to open his bedroom door to get to the bathroom and wash his hand as soon as possible. As Roxas left, Axel hissed through his teeth in annoyance and looked down at his side. At least they had stopped bleeding, but he did want Demyx to check it out if he was up to it when Axel visited him later. He knew Roxas was going to be foul when he came back from washing his hands. As he heard Roxas stomp back in, he casually slipped back so his back was against the headboard, drawing the comforter over his chest as much as he possibly could.

"You got in a fight again, didn't you?" Roxas said accusingly as he folded his arms at his chest.

"Hey now, take a chill pill, your acting like I'm your kid or something." Axel replied bluntly as he laid his arms back down at his sides. "It's only a few scratches, they aren't bleeding anymore, so it's not a big deal. I'm not sure if your parents can see my blood, but you could wash them to be on the safe side."

"That's not what I'm upset about."

"Then what's your problem?" Axel frowned. "I told you I'd be back, just like I promised. And here I am." Axel made a sweeping motion over himself. Roxas clenched his teeth as he held his head in his palms.

"Believe me, I'm really glad you're safe." Roxas said, bringing his hands away from his face as he gave the Preta a solemn look. "I was worried the whole time, I tried staying up so I would be awake when you got back..."

"Then why bite my head off, besides the fact I bled a little on your sheets and you're extremely cranky in the mornings?" Roxas took a moment to reflect on what Axel had said. He knew the Preta was right, Roxas would blatantly admit that he was the spawn of Satan every morning, and his mean outburst was partially due to it. Yet, questions buzzed around in his head in regaurds to what happened and why Axel was being so secretive about everything. The blonde sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing the side of his arm as he tried to cool his nerves before speaking again.

"You know how you asked me if I trusted you?" Roxas asked as he looked over at Axel, who still had the comforter hiked up to his chest, and it was then that Roxas realized he wasn't wearing his coat. He wanted to ask about that, but he decided to save that one for later.

"Yeah." Axel said, not really following why it had anything to do with what was going on.

"And I told you that I did." Roxas turned around a little so he sat Indian-style at the foot of his bed, facing the redhead. "Now it's my turn to ask you. Do you trust me?"

"Of course." Axel replied bitterly.

"Think about what you just said. You said you trusted me. Are you sure?"

"Why are you asking me this, Roxas?"

"Because I don't think you trust me at all."

"Really? And what makes you think that?" Axel couldn't believe what Roxas was saying. Of course he trusted Roxas, he was his best friend!

"You don't tell me anything!" Roxas exclaimed, his calm tone exploding into a frustrated shout. "You know almost everything about me, and I hardly know who you are at all. When something's wrong with me, you get upset if I don't tell you and bug me until I do, but when something's wrong with you, you clam up and refuse to tell me anything. I know there's shit going on with you, I'm not stupid!"

"Have you ever thought that I don't want to tell you because it isn't any of your business?" Axel was trying to remain calm, but he was afraid that he was going to lose it if Roxas kept shouting.

"Isn't any of my business? ! So you just expect me to attend to your every beck and call and tell you everything while you say nothing about yourself? You're two steps away from being a full on stranger to me, Axel! I don't even know your last name, assuming if you even have one." Roxas added bitterly.

"You've never even asked me if I did or not."

"You wouldn't tell me even if I did."

"Stop assuming that kind of shit!" Axel slammed his fist down on the comforter angrily. "You sound just like Demyx right now, you know that? I have to put up with his whining because I don't tell him anything, but do you see me sleeping with him at night and sucking face with him? Contrary to what you might think, you know more about me than he does."

"And you've known him for what, thirty years?" Roxas snorted accusingly. "You wanna know something? I actually went to Demyx a while ago, that time I said I wanted to be alone and left you here, to talk to him about _you_.And 'sucking face'? Is that all it is to you?"

"No! Don't twist my words, Roxas!" Axel exclaimed, now shouting as well. "I'm sure Demyx had just _fabulous _things to say about me." Axel added bitterly. "Why would you go off and talk to Demyx about me, why not come to me?"

"Because I know you wouldn't tell me anything. I went to Demyx to ask him about the person you were before you met me. I wanted to know the real Axel, since you won't tell me anything about yourself or your past, so I could try to understand you better. but he was just as clueless as I am. You have so many different faces, Axel, and it's really hard for me to tell sometimes if you're being real with me or not! I've put off this uneasiness I feel around you because I've been telling myself you'll open up to me in time, but I guess that's just not going to happen."

"Wait, you feel uneasy around me?" Axel asked, his angry demeanor quickly shifting into shockened surprise. Roxas' words had cut through him like a knife, unable to understand. His eyes searched Roxas' for some kind of answer, an explanation to what he was doing wrong. The last thing he ever wanted to do was to have Roxas afraid of him. "How long have you felt that way?"

"The whole time I've known you, to be completely honest. When we started to get more...intimate..." The word rolled off Roxas' tongue warily. "I tried to ignore it as much as I could because I thought you would be more open and honest with me as we got closer." Roxas' tone had calmed down somewhat, the blonde having withdrawn to fiddling with the hem of his shirt. "But I don't think I can ignore it anymore, Axel... you know all about me, but you're almost a complete stranger. I can't pretend I'm okay with that anymore."

"Roxas..." Roxas purposefully avoided Axel's gaze to keep from seeing the hurt that he could hear in the redhead's voice as he said his name.

"I can't do this anymore, Axel."

"...What?"

"I said I can't do this anymore." Roxas repeated solemnly. "Not until you trust me enough to show me who you really are and prove to me that you aren't here just because my hair keeps you here." Roxas looked at Axel with serious intent. "Because if it is, I'll get it cut for you." Axel sucked in a breath, trying to come to grasps with what Roxas was saying. He couldn't believe it.

"...You'd really do that?" Axel asked painfully, his brows turning upwards.

"If that's what you really want, I will." Roxas replied genuinely. The two stared at each other, sharing an uncomfortable silence, both of them unable to come up with anything else to say. Axel stared blankly as he tried to process all he had just heard. Roxas stared back, trying his best to keep from trembling as he waited, silently pleading for a single word of reassurance or comfort from Axel, for any sign of progress, but the Preta remained silent. Roxas felt his heart cave under the pressure, his chest tightening as he finally broke the stare, hanging his head a little as he brought himself up off of the bed.

"Where are you going?" Axel asked.

"I'm going to get ready to go to the mall with my friends." He replied as casually as he could, doing his best to hide the dissapointment and sadness in his voice, biting on his tongue to restrain a familiar tingling sensation growing in his eyes. He wasn't going to cry; not in front of Axel. "I think you should stay here and figure out what you want to do from here."

"No, don't go." Axel said, almost pleading. "I don't want you to leave on a sour note like this..." Axel leaned forward, scooting up to try to rest a hand on the teen's shoulder, but Roxas dodged the gesture.

"Stop. I'm not doing this with you anymore until I know it's for real. Because I can't take your word for it." Roxas could feel the stinging in his eyes intensify, clenching his eyes shut to prevent tears from forming.

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

"You figure it out." Was all Roxas could manage to choke out before briskfully walking out of the room, leaving a shocked and speechless Preta alone on the bed.

Axel stared at the doorway for several minutes, expecting Roxas to come back at any moment and tearfully apologize, chew him out some more, or even laugh and say "Gotcha!" But his blonde friend never came. He heard Roxas rustling about in the bathroom, but he didn't dare to try and approach him. As realization set in, Axel let out a frustrated growl as he gripped the sides of his head, wondering where the hell all of this came from at once. Were they not perfectly fine yesterday morning? Axel didn't sense any sort of hostility or fear from Roxas at all. He had no idea Roxas felt this way. Was he really too wrapped up in himself and what he wanted to even consider how Roxas was feeling?

The Preta slowly brought himself out of bed, leaning down carefully to pluck his soiled clothing up off of the floor. He wanted to wash them, with regular old soap and water like he had always done, but Roxas was currently taking residence in the bathroom and he really didn't want to risk running into one of Roxas' dogs in search for his parent's bathroom. He also didn't want to stay any longer; he wanted to get out and away from Roxas so he could have some time to think.

_I guess I'll just go to the park to check on Demyx, _Axel concluded as he looked out the window. _See how he's doing. There's a fountian there that I can wash my coat in. Watch it be just my lucky day and get jumped on my way over there._ Axel sighed irritably as he tossed the gloves onto Roxas' bed and started to put the blood stained coat over his scarred shoulders. The fabric was hard and uncomfortable from the dried blood, but he would much rather face fifteen minutes of being uncomfortable than being dead from being unprepared. Stuffing the gloves into his pocket, he portaled from Roxas' room to give them both the time they needed to be alone.

* * *

Larxene found herself being brutally awakened by the pain in her throat. The blonde gasped breathlessly, aware that she was still face down on the ground. Slowly coming to prop herself up on her elbows, she coughed hoarsely as she brought her left hand to her throat, wincing as her gloved fingertips met the gash that she had recieved from that very handsome, yet defiant redheaded Preta that she was sent to recruit. It was still bleeding, and she wondered why no one had come to tend to her already. Her silent question was answered by the sound of footsteps she heard in the distance.

As she opened her eyes, she expected to see blood-stained grass beneath her, or the obsenely-white tiled floors of Master Xemnas' headquarters. Instead, she was met with a bottomless dull grey floor beneath her. She recognized it almost instantly.

"Ah, so you've finally awakened." a familiar foreboding deep voice crooned softly. Larxene struggled, a pained hiss escaping her lips as she brought herself to look forward, and saw a familiar black and white patterned fabric billowing just a few feet away. She breathed an internal sigh of releif; Master Xemnas had come to her aid! She tried to speak, but as she tried to apply sound to the words she wanted to say, pain seized her and she only choked out a hoarse cry. Xemnas' spine chilling chuckle filled her ears, seeming to echo off the unseen walls of the World In Between. "It would seem that you've failed your assignment to bring that most unruly Preta back to me, Larxene. Did I not instruct you not to return until you completed your mission?"

_That fucker would have killed me if I stayed, _Larxene growled silently, knowing that trying to come up with excuses for her premature return wasn't going to save her. She had thought Xemnas had rescued her from her predicament, but seeing how Xemnas wasn't too happy with her presence, she must have willfully returned on instinct to escape an almost certian death. Larxene, the flirtatious and arrogant Preta who always laughed in the face of danger, was about to meet her execution. Her muscles tightened with animalistic fear, her instincts telling her to escape as quickly as she possibly could, but she knew it wouldn't do her any good. She was too weak to muster up the energy to run, or to portal to a safer location.

"You understand that failure in the Organization is unacceptable, and therefore, punishable by death." Larxene heard Xemnas say, and the blonde only clenched her teeth as she silently cursed her very decision to join the Organization.

Larxene was a brand new Preta; she was only two years old. The Queen Bee in her lifetime, she was used to calling the shots. So when she was approached with the promise of becoming a god, she all too eager to pitch in. She proved to be one of the best assassins in the ring of rebellious Pretas, all lead by one very powerful and well renowned Asura that she had come to know as Master Xemnas, or just Xemnas. When Xemnas had given her the task to track down some Preta named Axel, she was totally confident that she could do it in less than a week.

She started by observing Axel from a distance, far enough and keeping a low enough profile that she remained undetected. From what she could see, convincing Axel to join the Organization was going to be a difficult task due to his constant fawning over some awkward teenager that he followed around all the time. She resorted to seeking out a friend of Axel's, and that is how she met Demyx. After several attempts to _nicely_ convince Demyx to trick Axel into joining the Organization had failed miserably due to the sand eating Preta's cowardice and managing to escape from her very persuasive knives, she finally lost her patience. The next time Demyx met her again, she was after him with intent to kill.

The rest of the story was irrelevant, especially now. Her threats against Axel's sister were nothing but hollow words. Like she had any idea where the hell Aerith was. She only knew about her because she had eavesdropped on Axel and Xion's conversation, and she saw how even mentioning her name almost made him go bat shit crazy. For all she knew, Aerith could be burning in the pits of Hell or reliving a new life as a human on Earth without any recollection of Axel at all.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a second set of footsteps. A second cloak had appeared at Xemnas' side, but this one was the same black ebony of a Preta's trenchcoat. Larxene didn't want to try to crane her neck any higher to see their faces. Who else was here?

"I would normally end your insignificant existance," Xemnas spoke again after the unknown Preta had appeared. "But I have other intentions for you, Larxene, in a little experiment."

Larxene sucked in a breath, thanking her lucky stars. Yet, as Xemnas chuckled menacingly once more, Larxene knew that something was wrong. Very wrong.

"Unfortunately for you," Larxene heard the shuffling of fabric, assuming that Xemnas was moving about in front of her, perhaps lifting a hand towards her. "It means you'll have to die all the same."

_Die?_

Larxene suddenly felt her chest seize, feeling imaginary fingers curling around her already injured neck, squeezing so tightly that she couldn't breathe. Her deep green eyes widened with fear as her hands groped the gray ground beneath her for something, anything, shooting to her neck, clawing at the invisible iron grip that was slowly suffocating her. Through her desperate clawing, she began to rip through the wound in her throat, making it larger and making more crimson blood spill to the floor. She cried out as she flipped over onto her back, struggling with all of her strength to breathe, but all of it was in vain. Her cry turned into a hoarse scream as she realized that she was beginning to fade away.

_No! This can't be happening!_ Larxene pleaded, feeling tears begin to swell in her eyes as she looked up in desperation at Xemnas, who was eyeing her with an evil, malicious smile, and the unknown Preta at his side was none other than Saix. _I'm too young to die! I've only lived for two years! Please! _Larxene's body began to fade, piece by piece, until she was no more. As her head began to fade, her lips were forced open by an unseen power, and a bright yellow essence spilled from between her teeth and began to waft upwards, her soul leaving her body to begin it's never ending journey.

"Quickly, take it before it dissapears." Xemnas ordered the blue haired Preta beside him. Saix obediantly nodded, taking a step forward to quickly trap the glowing yellow vapor in a small test tube-like container, capping the top before it had the chance to escape. He then presented the captured soul to the Asura, who took it from his hands and inspected the tube's contents carefully, his free hand stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Such a free-spirited sample. But useful nontheless. Her thoughtful donation to my experiment is greatly appreciated." Saix only nodded, not having spoken a word, and the two vanished from the World In Between, their motives still unknown.

But not to a cleverly camoflaged dragonfly vessel that had been cleverly hidden inside the tail of the Asura's black and white cloak.

* * *

_**A/N: I personally feel like this chapter was a little on the short side, but once again I had to split one chapter into two because it was potentially too long. So much I wanted to do in one chapter. Hahaha...you can actually expect the next chapter pretty soon, like, later tonight kind of soon.**_

**_All the Larxene haters, rejoice! Lol. _**


	17. Playing With Rag Dolls

_**A/N: I tried my hardest to get this chapter finished before midnight, but I'm one hour off the mark! GAH! But whatever, it's not June 24th until I freakin say so! This chappie is dedicated to Kareen2006, because she's an awesome friend and it's her birthday. Happy Birthday Queenie! :D**_

* * *

_God dammit_, Axel cursed on the inside as he desperately tried to rub the bloodstained fabric of his gloves together under the cold, rushing water of the local park's water fountian. _Of course I forget to get some kind of soap to get this shit out. _He had been trying to get the blood out of his gloves for the past ten minutes, but due to the lack of soap, he wasn't having very much progress. His eyes darted around the area like a meercat scouting for predators, ready for any case of a possible attack while he was left exposed to other potential Organization Pretas that could sneak up on him. Though, all he had been able to see so far was a couple of morning joggers and mothers pushing strollers around, and one teenager on a skateboard. He felt is eye twitch just the tiniest bit as his back was assaulted for the fifth time by some kid with a shitton of pennies and an apparently _very long_ wishlist.

"I want the new Transformer action figure..." the kid mused, flipping a penny from his thumb into the seemingly empty fountian, completely unaware of a very pissed off Preta giving him the stink eye as the currency rolled off of his back for the sixth time. "I want a DSi..."

"Fuck you, you aren't getting shit." Axel hissed as he turned around and breifly caught the penny that was rocketing towards him and flicked it back at the child, hitting the kid in the forehead and making him cry out in shock.

"MOOOOOMMMM!" The little boy squealed as he dropped all of his pennies onto the brick walkway beneath him and ran screaming towards a very tired woman on a bench that was currently talking on a cellphone. "The fountian is ALIVE!" Axel couldn't contain an evil chuckle as he watched the kid run away. His moment of mild amusement having come and gone, his mind quickly reminding himself of the current Roxas problem he had on his hands. He allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts, replaying their heated arguement as the Preta let the gloves fall to the water of the fountian pooling up to his mid shin, the gloves almost a lost cause at this point as he started to unzip his coat and remove the crusty fabric to try his hand at cleaning that for now. Just when he thought things couldn't get anymore embarassing as it already was, he heard a wolf whistle go off somewhere behind him.

"Yeah, take it off!" A familiar obnoxious voice catcalled. Axel's shoulders bristled as he looked over them to see Demyx several yards away, giggling as he reclined on a bench, arms slung over the back of the bench and legs slightly parted, and gave Axel a casual wave with his fingers. Axel scowled and quickly slipped his coat back on, making the mullet-haired Preta frown and give a big pout by sticking his lower lip out. "Aw, come on, don't tease the cripple like that."

"I'll make sure you stay a cripple." Axel jested, despite his foreboding tone, he gave Demyx a sly grin. "I bet it's safe to say that you're feeling better?"

"Kind of. I woke up about an hour ago and finished tending to my back." Demyx replied as he laid his head back on the back of the bench, looking up at the sky and closed his eyes. "Still feeling sore though. I was watching you screw with that kid, his reaction was hilarious." Axel only gave him a shrug as he turned back to the fountian's jet stream that shot into the air and fell back down into the water just in front of him, trying to rinse some of the blood off of his sleeve. He heard Demyx make the sound of an unsure grunt, and he looked back over his shoulder to see the Preta somewhat struggling to get to his feet, and began to approach the fountian with a limp on his right leg. Axel's brows furrowed with concern.

"Hey, are you sure you can be up and walking around like that? You look terrible."

"You always say I look terrible." Demyx gave a casual shrug, leaning over to bring himself to sit on the fountian's edge, hissing as his butt made contact with the concrete edge as the soreness in his back increased. As the pain ebbed away, he turned so that he faced Axel, swinging his legs over the side of the fountian and making a decent sized rippling wave as his feet slipped into the water. "Besides, you look like you could use some help. Didn't wash your coat from last night?"

"No, I wanted to practice my strip tease routine in the middle of the local park for shits and giggles."

"Oh, by all means then, don't let me stop you." Demyx held up his hands defensively. "As they say, practice makes perfect."

"You don't think I'm perfect already?" Axel asked in a hurt tone as he brought one of his hands to his chest and gave him a sensual pout, poking out his rear end.

"Pssh, yeah, more like a train wreck."

"Fuck you, man." Axel kicked up a splash in the water the drenched the blonde Preta who let out a meep in surprise, his mullet starting to sag from the weight of the water that was splashed on him.

"You really want to start this kind of fight with me?" Demyx asked cautiously with a smile as he brushed his deflated hair back, getting it out of his eyes. "Because you know I'll kick your ass. Water's my bitch."

"Maybe another time when we both feel up to par." Axel replied as he searched around for his gloves that were drifting in the water somewhere.

"If you'll gimme your clothes, I can get the blood out for you." Demyx offered sincerely as Axel snatched his gloves out of the water and started shaking the garmets around wildly to try to get some of the water off.

"Are you being serious or are you trying to get me naked?"

"Um, no, unless you want it to be." Demyx gave him a little wink.

"I'm seriously considering killing you right now."

"Dude, calm down, I was just kidding, geez." Demyx rolled his eyes as he let out a frustrated huff. "Called a joke, man."

"I'm not really in the mood for jokes right now." Demyx's arrival, just like his little prank on the child flinging pennies at him, only proved to be a shortlived thrill. He approached Demyx and flung his gloves into the blonde's lap. "Get it out, then."

Demyx gave him a mocking frown before dipping the gloves back into the water to let them soak for a few moments. Axel watched with his arms crossed at his chest, waiting to see how Demyx was possibly going to clean his gloves without soap. The water weilding Preta then laid one of the gloves in his lap, taking the other one and laying it flat in his right palm. Using his left hand, Demyx touched the glove gently, and as he pulled his hand back, Axel watched as the water that was soaked in his glove lifted like paperclips to a magnet, the water drawing out the blood in the process and making a dirty brown ball of water form in his left hand. Once the process was finished, Demyx casually flicked the ball of water into the fountian like discarded trash.

"Tada!" Demyx beamed as he presented the glove to his redheaded friend with a proud smile. "Didn't know I could do that, huh?" Any thoughts of gloom and doom that was lingering in Axel's mind came to a breif halt as he took the glove back, inspecting it carefully. Not only was it free of blood, but it was also dry, for the most part.

"That's pretty impressive." Axel gave a nod in slight admiration as he looked back at Demyx, who was just finishing up with his second glove.

"Yeah, well, blood is made up of water to some extent, right?" Demyx flicked the second swirling mass of dirty water back into the fountian and handed him his other glove. "You want me to do your coat, too?" He was answered by the sight of Axel slipping off his coat, tossing the bundled up mess carelessly into Demyx's lap and laid the gloves on the fountian's edge. "Oof, shit, I swear these things get twenty pounds heavier when they're wet!"

"You offered." Axel replied simply with a shrug, the water at his feet sloshing around as he trudged back over to the falling jet stream to try to clean the wound on his side. Axel sputtered as he got closer to the stream, high velocity droplets of water attacking his face and chest, the cold water running down his naturally heated skin causing some steam to rise. By the time he was close enough to rinse off the dried and caked blood on his side, his hair was starting to sag over his eyes. Already drenched, Axel decided to step directly under the stream of water and let it fall directly onto him, almost like being in a shower. He could feel the dried sweat that stained his forehead starting to rinse away as it streamed down his face, dragging his long fingers through his wet hair and giving it a good rub down. Although he was a Preta and showers weren't either nessecary or easy to get to, he sometime took the time to stand out in the rain or find a fountian similar to this one and just let it rinse him off every once in a while. It gave him the feeling of being one step closer to being human. He had even snuck into Roxas bathroom while he was at school and the rest of his family was away sometimes and just stood in the shower and let it roll off the back of his neck and race towards the drain through the valleys and crevices of his battered flesh. Really, who would want to make out with a stinky Preta, anyway? Axel always just used hand soap only when he really needed to, even using it for his hair. When he was a child, hand soap was all he had to bathe himself, so it was mostly done out of habit, forget all of the fancy shampoos and conditioners. He knew his hair functioned just fine without it, thank you.

"Axel, I'm almost positive they don't need a nasty old Preta like you to star in a shampoo commertial." Demyx cackled in an amused tone as he watched Axel fiddling with his wet hair.

"I didn't ask for your input," Axel said, unamused, as he rubbed his face. "Just hurry up with my coat already."

"I'm working on it." It was going to take a little longer with Axel's coat; he'd have to go one part at a time to be sure he got all of the blood out, both inside and out. He had finished with Axel's sleeves and torso, and was working his way downwards. He had done this many times with his own coat, but it wouldn't take nearly as long due to Axel's body type being a little smaller than his own. As his gloved fingertips brushed over one of Axel's pockets, he felt an odd lump that instantly struck his curiousity. Demyx reached into the pocket and gripped something that felt very lumpy and ragged, carefully withdrawing the contents to see a very beaten up rag doll, which was also drenched with water. It wasn't exactly the cutest ragdoll in the world, either. Demyx let out a thoughtful 'hmm' as he inspected this odd find, preforming the same technique to rid the frayed ragdoll of the water that soaked it to the very stuffing.

"Hey, Axel." Demyx called to his friend in a teasing tone as he held the ragdoll up in his hand. "Don't you think your a bit too old to be playing with little dollies?"

The taunting words made Axel's eyes shoot wide open, abruptly turning his head to Demyx's direction. Instead of receiving some kind of witty response, Demyx realized he was in deep shit by the way Axel shot him an extremely dirty and evil glare. Axel couldn't help it; Demyx, the klutz that would find some way to break everything, was holding his most prized possesion in his hands and wiggling it around between his fingers like some plaything. Demyx barely saw him even move, one moment he was at the jet stream and the next, Axel had his fingers coiled around Demyx's arm in a death grip that threatened to snap his arm in two.

"When the fuck did I tell you it was okay to go through my pockets? !" Axel snarled as he snatched the rag doll out of Demyx's hand and jerked his arm so fast that Demyx hardly had enough time to react as he found himself being thrown into the fountian, the cold water crashing in his face as he fell into the water, Axel's coat tumbling in after him. Demyx quickly lifted his head out of the water, feeling his back begin to sting as he arched his back, hissing as he turned over to sit down on the fountian's bottom, the water rising up to just right under his chest.

"What the hell, Axel? !" Demyx spat through his pain as he pushed the sandy blonde hair that had piled up in front of his face back with his hand. "I was just trying to clean your coat like you wanted me to! I found it by accident! Why the fuck are you so bent out of shape over some rag doll? !"

"Because it isn't just _any_ rag doll!" Axel stuffed the doll carefully into his front left pants pocket, which was wet all the same, but all he cared about was it being away from Demyx's clumsy clutches. "It's got a personal value to it!"

"Oh yeah, like what, you picked it up off the side of the road?" Demyx said bitterly. Axel only scowled at him and turned his back to the Preta still sitting in the fountian, gathering up his gloves and slipping them over his hands and wiggling his fingers to ensure their secure fit. Demyx tried to read the expression on Axel's face, but the redhead refused to look at him as he lifted his coat out of the water and was trying to wring it out to the best of his ability. The wheels began to turn in Demyx's mind, and he instantly regretted being such an ass about the whole thing.

"Hey..." Demyx muttered cautiously, trying to get Axel's attention, but the Preta kept ignoring him. Demyx's gaze drifted down to the water beneath him, swirling the liquid around with his fingertip as he looked back up at Axel. "It's your little sister's, isn't it?" Axel's working hands halted for a moment.

"It's none of your business." Axel said tersely as he went back to wringing out his coat. He couldn't believe the crap he was having to put up with this morning. First Roxas decides to throw a bitch fit, and now Demyx was about to start his game of twenty questions about his rag doll memento. Axel had been hoping to have alone time, quickly drop by for a few minutes to make sure Demyx was at least stll breathing, and then go about his merry way. As merry as he could be, when Roxas had essentially broken off their 'relationship,' or whatever it is they were, which wasn't very merry at all.

"Dude, you really got to quit with all this secretive bullshit." Demyx sighed as he shook his head.

"Don't even start with that crap, I've already heard it once today." Axel grumbled irritably as he struggled to balance his coat on one knee to get at the bottom while keeping it from slipping back into the water.

"What do you mean?"

"You really think I'd be stripping in the middle of the park because I wanted to?"

"Ahh. You and Roxas had a fight?"

"Pretty much."

"How bad?"

"Bad enough that we aren't on speaking terms until I," Axel paused to lift his hand up to make quotation marks in the air. "quote "show him the real me.""

"Really? Honestly, I think that's just what you need." Demyx gave him a knowledgable nod. "You know he came to me to try to find that out, right?"

"Believe me, I know." Axel deadpanned.

"Yeah, well..." Demyx rubbed the back of his head as he heaved a loud breath. "Don't get me wrong, Axel, you're a really great guy once someone gets to know you, but you gotta learn to open up to people, you know? We all have our stories. We have our reasons that brought us here and made us what we are. I've learned that dwelling on them doesn't make anything easier." Demyx paused as he got an idea. "I'm not afraid to talk about my misdeeds. It personally makes it easier to deal with. I've never told you about what happened to me, did I?"

"Not that I can remember." Axel tried to sound disinterested, but he couldn't deny he was the tiniest bit curious about Demyx's death.

"I'll tell you about it if you help me up. I'm still not done with your coat, and now I gotta start all over thanks to you." Axel grunted irritably as he extended a reluctant hand out to Demyx, pulling the Preta to his feet and letting him put a hand on his shoulder as Demyx limped back over to the fountian's edge, taking the coat away from Axel and set it back in his lap to start his work while he talked.

"I came to America on the Mayflower, you know at least that much." Demyx recalled thoughtfully as he pulled water out of Axel's sleeves. "I was about eight years old when that happened. I came with my mum and father, and I was their only son. I really didn't want to leave from London, but my parents kept telling me that we would live a much better life in the New World and escape the brutal taxes and religious persecution. My family was Protestant, like most on the Mayflower, trying to get away from the pressure of the Catholic church. It was a rough journey, but we managed to make the trip in one piece.

We lived on a settlement just off of the coast of the ocean, in the New Jersey area. Everything was fine until we quickly realized we weren't the only ones on this new land. I'm talking about Native Americans, redskins, the natives that we would first embrace as friends and then turn right back around and call them savages." Demyx let out a wistful sigh. "I remember seeing my first Indian. I'd only heard about them from other townspeople, but I never really saw one in person until one came to my front door one evening. I was...eleven...I think..." He flicked the excess water into the fountian and waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever. Anyway, my father met him out on the porch and they were talking about trade. I stuck my head out to take a look, and he looked just like how every one else described them; black haired, red skinned, wearing the skins of animals and beaded belts, and deep brown eyes with all different kinds of weird trinkets made out of animal parts."

"I know what Indians look like, Demyx. Can you get to your point? You're starting to ramble like you always do." Axel interrupted irritably.

"I'm getting there, sorry." Demyx shook his head to try to clear his thoughts. "A little while after that, my father started taking me to the Indian village whenever he went to trade with them. We'd trade them salt and spices for animal skins that we'd make into clothes. But that wasn't enough. Soon, several men from the communities and their children would sneak into the Indian camp at night and steal whatever we could from them, especially when winter came. We were starving and had no idea how to grow our own food. My father made me join in on the raids we would conduct in the middle of the night on Indian camp grounds. I did it at first not really knowing that what I was doing was wrong. My parents always told me that they were savages, not really human like us, and they deserved what was coming to them. I did it because my father told me to. Even then I was as much of a coward as I am now.

When the Indians began to realize it was the white men who was stealing from them, they started to do the same thing. They'd come in the middle of the night and steal from our own houses, just like we stole from them. During one of their raids, they came into my house while we were all still awake." Demyx paused for a moment as he flicked another dirty water ball into the fountian, having gotten back down to Axel's pocket area where he had left off. "That's when they killed me and my parents to keep us from screaming and waking up everyone else in the settlement while they pillaged my house."

"...You sound so nonchalant about it." Axel murmured, feeling his frizzed nerves starting to calm down a little. Demyx just shrugged as he flung the last bit of water out of his palm and into the fountian.

"I've told people about it before. I really just gave you the abridged version, there's alot more to it, but that's basically what happened. It was tough to talk about at first, but once I finally did tell someone, it made me feel alot better. It just gets easier to deal with with every time I talk about it. Sure, the pain won't ever go away for good, at least until I'm finished with my sentence, but I honestly think that's why we keep our memories when we're Pretas. It's not just the hunger that messes with our heads, but it's the memories that got us here, too. That's part of the punishment." Demyx handed Axel his coat gingerly and looked up at Axel with a small smile. "I know you must have a huge burden on your shoulders, and it must hurt to have to deal with it yourself every day. But I promise, if you just talk to someone about it, it won't hurt as much, and it'll make this sentence easier to live with."

"...Sure." Axel said dismissively as he pulled his coat over his shoulders and started to zip it up, letting Demyx's words simmer in his mind. "Thanks for fixing up my coat."

"You're welcome." Demyx replied, a little dissapointed that even his own story wouldn't prompt the walls of Axel's resolve to cave, even in the slightest. Axel stepped over the fountian's edge and onto the brick walkway, adjusting his coat to suit his liking and began to walk away to have his much awaited alone time.

"Wait," He heard Demyx call after him, and the redhead turned his head to look at Demyx over his shoulder.

"What?" Axel sounded annoyed, and he was, because Demyx was most likely going to start chattering again and end up wasting away a day that could be put to good use, such as figuring out his situation with Roxas.

"Do you ever pray to your little sister?" Demyx asked casually as he turned about from the fountian, lifting his feet out and turning to face Axel.

"Pssh, I don't pray at all." Axel replied tersely. "Don't have a reason to."

"Maybe you should consider it. You know she's out there somewhere, and she probably missing you as much as you miss her. You must miss her alot, seeing as you carry that old ratty doll around with you all the time."

"Praying isn't going to bring my sister any closer to me than she is already." Axel said flatly, wanting to dismiss the conversation altogether.

"I'm just suggesting it, Axel. It could help you, maybe, to talk to her, even if she can't hear you. And who knows, she might even hear you, depending on what she turned out to be in her next life."

"Look, I appreciate your concern, but I'll handle my personal life however I want, and I think pretending that I'm talking to a dead person isn't going to help me very much." Giving Demyx a two fingered salute as his farewell, he swiftly portaled to a new location before Demyx could have the time to keep talking and suck him into another somewhat pointless conversation.

* * *

"Okay, so I haven't really decided what kind of dress I want yet." Kairi announced to the table after taking a sip of her cherry Icee. "I don't know if I want a dress that's a little poofy at the bottom or if I want just a slim fitting one without any of the fancy underwire. It's got to be strapless, definately, but I'm scared a poofy dress will make my butt look big."

"Don't say that, you don't have a big butt." Olette rolled her eyes as she groaned at Kairi's self loathing. "I think you should get a dress like the one that we saw online, that one that was kind of hot pinkish. I think the label said watermelon pink?"

"That's too dark, though. Maybe more strawberry." Kairi made a slightly disgusted face. "And that had alot of sequiens and stuff all over it. It was pretty, but I don't think thats the right one for me. What about you?"

Roxas was restraining his deep desire to repeatedly smash his head against the sticky table that he, Kairi, Olette, and Xion were currently sitting at, the girls nibbling on Subway sandwiches while he ate his Wendy's bacon cheeseburger. He loved bacon cheeseburgers, but today it just didn't seem right. None if this seemed right at all. He knew why; Axel wasn't with him. He had gotten so used to Axel being around, it was a little difficult to pretend to be okay that he wasn't there. He couldn't say that he was glad Axel wasn't there, he wasn't at all. Roxas was barely paying attention to the girls' conversations about dresses while the arguement in his bedroom replayed over and over again in his head.

Roxas tried so hard not to cry. Even now, he was finding it hard to keep from crying out, anything to get this tightness in his chest that had formed. After fiddling around in the bathroom for a while, Roxas managed to calm himself down, but he still had that tight feeling in his chest that refused to go away. It was hard for him to believe afterwards that he had said what he did, but he knew that's what he had been wanting to say for so long. Roxas desperately wanted Axel to be able to trust him as much as he trusted the Preta, to be closer to him, to go beyond their physical attraction and be a little more emotionally involved. Roxas wanted to believe Axel liked him for him, but as the day was dragging on and Axel refused to show, Roxas was starting to get nervous.

"Roxas, helllooooo?" Kairi waved a hand in front of his face to snap him out of his angsty trance.

"Huh? What?" Roxas said, blinking as he pulled himself back into reality.

"We want to know what color you think would look best on Xion." Kairi replied, fiddling with her straw. "I think she'd look good in blue, but Olette thinks she'd look good in black."

"I like purple, though..." Xion inquired quietly as she swallowed a bite of her turkey club.

"I know, but I don't think that would be the best choice for a prom dress, Xion." Kairi insisted, looking back to Roxas. "Well?"

"Um..." Roxas knew he was in deep water. If he agreed with Olette or Kairi, he'd risk hurting Xion's feelings. Roxas looked at Xion, who was wearing a plain black shirt with a black and red checkered silk scarf around her neck, and tried to picture Xion in a dress. "Maybe...you could compromise? Like, you know, blend two colors together?"

"You're so right!" Olette grinned widely as she looked to Xion with excitement written all over her face. "You could get a black dress with another color, like with blue or purple sequins or a dress that's both black and blue, or whatever color you'd like."

"You see, I told you guys bringing Roxas was a good idea." Kairi nodded sagely. Roxas just huffed as he bit into his cheeseburger.

"Thanks, Roxas." Xion smiled sweetly.

"Mffmlllcom." Roxas replied with a full mouth. This made Kairi give him a small glare.

"Don't talk with your mouth full, it's disgusting!" She said.

"Oh come on, Kairi, he's not as bad as Hayner." Olette defended the blonde. Roxas rolled his eyes and swallowed his mouthful of food. Today was definately going to be a long day, and he wasn't going to have any time at all to think to himself.

"Sorry." Roxas shrugged, not realizing that he was reaching up to scratch an itch that was on his neck, his fingers instantly freezing over his skin as he realized that he was about to draw attention to his neck, which was currently covered in ill-colored makeup in a desperate attempt to conceal Axel's red hickeys littering his neck using his mother's makeup. He had seen one of his old friends do it back down South to keep his parents from knowing that he and his girlfriend were doing more than just kissing when they went out. He didn't realize how dumb it actually was until he tried it. _What is it with him and hickeys, anyway? He makes sure there's always at least one on my neck. Not that it's totally a bad thing...it feels nice and all, but I really don't need them thinking I'm with somebody or all hell will break loose. _His mind betrayed his sadness towards Axel as it began to replay the images of Axel latched onto his neck, his teeth gripping his flesh as he sucked and licked away at his neck, and he could almost swear he could hear that familiar soft wet sucking noise that he made while he inflicted a hickey onto his poor neck. The images made him visibly shutter, and made the tightness in his chest even stronger. He could feel his eyes starting to sting again. _No, not in the middle of the mall!_

"You okay, Roxas?" Xion asked carefully, having heard Roxas heave an uneasy and unstable sigh.

"Yeah. I'm fine..." Roxas replied, rubbing the side of his neck absently, his eyes suddenly widening as he realized what he had done. A quick glance to his hand...yeah, the ill-fitted color liquid foundation was rubbing off into his palm. He silently prayed that he hadn't rubbed off too much...

"Hold on a sec," Kairi said, squinting her eyes as she looked at Roxas' neck, which looked noticably splotchy, his tan skin blotched with something a much paler color. "Roxas, are you wearing _makeup_?" The very word rolled off her tongue like something horribly terrifying.

"No." Roxas quickly replied as he clamped his hand over his neck, his guilt as plain as day.

"Nuh uh, let me see!" Olette exclaimed as she leaned over the table, wanting to get a look at said makeup-wearing Roxas.

"I said I'm not wearing makeup!"

"Yeah huh, it was on your neck! Why did you..." Kairi brought her hands to her lips as she gasped softly. "You have a hickey on your neck, don't you? !"

_Great, absolutely fan-fucking-tastic. Nothing gets by you, does it? _Roxas wanted to hiss, but he held his tongue as he hung his head. His defeated body language confirmed the girls' suspicions. The two of them squealed together in unison, while Xion only resigned herself to eating at her sandwich again quietly. She knew all too well where the hickey had come from.

"You have a girlfriend, don't you?" Kairi teased as she poked at Roxas' arm that was still clamped firmly around his neck. "Ohmigawd, you haven't told us anything about her! Is it Olette? I knew she was totally crushing on you!"

"No!" Olette exclaimed defensively. "I told you I didn't like Roxas like that! I didn't do that to him!"

"Okay then, who is it?" Kairi wrapped her well manicured hands around Roxas' arm and tried to pry it away from his neck. Roxas tried to remain as silent as possible, hoping that if he didn't say anything, the subject would drop. He gave Xion a pleading look, trying to reach out for any sort of help, absolutely any at all. He was on the verge of tears and here was was fighting against two crazed friends that wanted to know just exactly he was seeing, which in truth wasn't even a girlfriend, but a guy. And not just that, oh no, he wasn't even human! Best. Saturday. _Ever._

"Hold on a minute you guys," Xion piped up in Roxas' defense, making the two girls halt their babbling questioning. "Is it really any of our business to pry into his private life?"

"Uh, yeah." Kairi scoffed. "We're his friends. And friends don't keep secrets!" She narrowed her deep blue eyes at Roxas as she gripped his arm. "So come on, spill! Are you with someone?" Roxas only sighed, gritting his teeth as he tried to get his very thin patience under control so he wouldn't snap right in front of them.

"...Yeah, I'm kinda...with someone." Roxas replied slowly, trying to keep it as casual as possible without revealing Axel's real identity as...well...a dude.

"Who is she? ?"

"You don't know...her." Roxas struggled with the word 'her.' It almost made him want to snicker a little, referring to Axel as a girl. "She's not from our school."

"Oh, so she's out of town?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Come on, Roxas, stop being so grumpy!" Kairi encouraged him with a wide smile. "Tell us what she's like! Is she pretty? Smart? Does she do sports?"

"I guess she's kind of pretty..." Roxas bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to think of calling Axel pretty. The bittersweet humor he felt as he thought about what Axel would do if he was here right now, listening to this conversation, made him want to laugh out loud and cry from conflicting emotions. "She's kind of arrogant, but she's also really nice." _Sometimes. Well, I really wouldn't know if it was genuine or not. _"But...we're kind of in a rough spot right now."

"Really?" Olette asked with a slightly pained look. "Are you two fighting?"

"Kind of..."

"You've come to the right girls!" Kairi giggled as she coiled an arm around Olette's shoulders. "We can totally help you out! Tell us what's going on and we can give you the girl's perspective!" Roxas had to suck in his lip and bite it harshly to stifle a laugh. Yeah, like a girl's perspective was really going to do him any good. Oh well, at least he was being offered _some _kind of advice.

"Okay, well...we've known each other for a little while now, and I really like her. And she knows alot about me, almost everything about me, actually, and I feel like I really trust her. But I don't think she feels the same way about me. She's really secretive and doesn't tell me anything, like if something's wrong or anything about her personal life. I wouldn't be trying this hard to work things out if I didn't like her, but I just don't understand why she doesn't trust me and I'm worried that I'm just being played or something."

"Uh huh..." Kairi nodded. "You know, it kinda sounds to me like she's unfaithful."

"Yeah, I think so too." Olette agreed. Roxas wanted to give himself a facepalm. _Okay, definately not the kind of answer I was looking for. Axel couldn't 'cheat' on me even if he wanted to. He's stuck with me until I give him my hair._

"No no, she's not like that, not at all." Roxas assured his friends. "She's just...shy, for lack of a better word?" Axel was _definately _not shy, but it was the best way he could put it into girl-speak.

"Ohhh! I see what you mean!" Kairi smiled. "If she's just shy, she probably has a good reason for it. Maybe her ex-boyfriend was such a dick that she has trust issues, or maybe she just has trust issues in general and you're suffering from it. My advice would be to just relax and let her open up to you with time, she'll come around."

"Yeah, I get that, but she's had time to come around for a long time. Like, a month's worth, almost."

"Trust doesn't happen overnight, Roxas. The worst thing you could do is try to force her, you know, pressure her into telling you things she isn't comfortable talking to you about yet." _...Oops._

"Really...?" Roxas' brows knitted together. "Well...what can I do if I...kinda slip up and say something like that?"

"You tried to force her?" Olette's tone sounded low and threatening. He could see them starting to give him the 'mean girl glare.'

"No! Of course not!" Roxas lied. "I just want to know what to do if I do on accident, if I say something that makes her think I'm pressuring her into doing something she doesn't want to do."

"All I can tell you is time, Roxas." Kairi flipped her auburn hair over her shoulder with a flick of her wrist. "Trying to make her be completely and emotionally exposed to you will only make her clam up even more. You've got to let her get comfortable being with you. She wants to make sure you'll be there for her when she needs you. She doesn't want you to turn her away just because of something she may have done or by how she used to be. Tell her you'll listen to her when she needs someone to talk to and let her know that no matter what, you'll still care about her even if things get a little rough. Just give it time."

"I think you should just break up with her." Xion chimed in casually. Her brutal bluntness made Kairi and Olette gasp.

"Xion! Don't say that, that's mean!" Kairi exclaimed.

"He wants a girl's opinion, and I'm giving him mine." Xion rebutted, looking at Roxas with serious intent in her eyes. "She obviously doesn't trust you because you two are completely different people. I think she might be unfaithful, just like Kairi said earlier. You shouldn't put so much trust in someone you barely even know." Roxas stared at Xion, some type of unknown knowledge staring right back at him. She seemed like she knew pretty well of what she was talking about. Why was she suddenly all serious like this?

"I don't really agree with you, Xion." Roxas said sadly, though not wanting to hurt her feelings, he couldn't deny his own. "I really like her, and I'm sure that she likes me too. She just...has trust issues."

"Are you sure she likes you for you, the Roxas on the inside, and not your physical appearance?" Roxas grew silent, Xion having sucessfully pinpointed the bud of his problem. Axel may have trust issues, but the root of the entire problem was that Roxas had no idea of knowing if Axel really cared about him or if it was all some illusion that was so great that it even fooled Axel himself.

"I think you should have a heart to heart with her." Kairi said, giving Xion what looked like a warning glare before looking back at Roxas kindly. "Just sit down with her and discuss your problems with her and she'll tell you how she feels about them. If she really acts like she doesn't care, then Xion is probably right. But I wouldn't jump to those kind of conclusions until you see how things go with a one on one discussion with her." Kairi suddenly slapped her hands onto the sticky mall table in front of them. "Well, I think we had a great little pow wow session, but we have dresses to shop for!" Roxas could tell that Kairi was trying to change the subject and overall mood before things got any more tense.

"We better get moving!" Olette chimed in, catching the drift, and started to gather her things into her plastic Subway bag to throw into the trash. Roxas cut his eyes over to Xion, but the black haired girl didn't return the glance, just looking down passively at her trash as she gathered it up into her plastic bag as well. With a sigh, Roxas started gathering up his stuff too, mentally preparing himself for probably one of the worst days of his life.

But thanks to his friend's advice, he knew that he was certianly going to have a 'heart to heart' with his 'girlfriend' as soon as he got the chance.

* * *

_**Ahhh...girl talk. I wonder what Axel would have done if he was there... *ponders.***_

_**NOW it's allowed to be June 24th! That is all.**_


	18. A Game of Cat and Mausi

_**A/N: I was literally two paragraphs away from being finished with this last night when I discovered a new episode of Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood was on at like, 2 am. I had a fit. Sorry *sweatdrop* And I'm sorry it took a while, but I've been spending the past few days literally picking through lima beans. Buckets and freakin' buckets of lima beans. It drove me crazy. Welcome to the South. e.e**_

* * *

***Week 5, Day 35, Wednesday***

Four days had passed since Axel and Roxas' fall out, and Axel found himself hungrier than ever as he sat on the stoop of some random house several blocks away from Roxas' home, his arms propping him up behind himself as he leaned back a little, watching each passerby and meticulously inspecting their hair with a ravenous glint in his eyes. It only pissed him off further that he wasn't allowed to run off after another victim while he waited for the metaphorical storm cloud that hovered over Roxas' head to pass. He was very hungry, but since his stomach was already set on Roxas' hair, he couldn't seem to see anyone else in particular that caught his eye. He even dismissed a guy with green hair. _Green hair_. Just how many people do you see on a daily basis with green hair?

The Preta heaved a frustrated sigh as he laid back on the stoop, folding his arms over his eyes to sheild the sun from his face as he pondered his current situation. He couldn't stand being alone like this, especially since he had become so used to Roxas' company, and it was tearing him apart on the inside to be away from him. Axel wanted to just go back to Roxas and pretend that nothing had even happened, but he knew Roxas wouldn't let him get away with it. Roxas had specifically said that he couldn't be around Axel anymore until the Preta essentialy told him the truth about himself and proved his feelings. That would be all fine and dandy if Axel knew how the hell to do it. Obviously the physical contact they had been sharing wasn't the answer, much to his chagrin. It was the only way he really knew how to show his affection while keeping himself sane.

His conversation with Demyx kept repeating over and over again in his head, trying to convince himself that the sand eating Preta had an idea of what he was talking about. It had deeply surprised Axel at how casually Demyx talked about his own death like he would have talked about some movie he saw that wasn't all that great. Yet, he was constantly reminding himself that Demyx's situation was completely different from his own. Demyx had been a victim of circumstance and to an extent, bad parenting. Axel had pretty much brought his own death upon himself. It was definately much easier to talk about being murdered by an Indian than to talk about almost a lifetime of predjudice, fear, anxiety, and death; at least in Axel's book.

He came to the conclusion that he had no choice but to talk to Roxas about it, that much he knew was for sure. Now the hard part was trying to muster up the courage to actually put it into words. He had to conquer his unexplainable fear of his experience before he could do so. However, even after he finally told Roxas of his sorrowful experience as a victim of one of the world's most infamous genocides, he was worried that Roxas would turn him away. Who in their right mind would want to be with someone as disgusting as him?

_Okay, that may have been a little bit on the angsty side, _Axel interrupted his own train of thought. It may not be that he was disgusting, per se, but he definately had a lot of deeply embedded issues that would take much longer than a few months to get over. And, let's not forget the icing on this very bitter cake; Axel was still a Preta, a demon who shouldn't associate with a human like this at all in the first place. That was a whole different battle that Axel didn't want to get in to at the moment.

_'Do you ever pray to your little sister?'_

Probably Demyx's most powerful words out of that whole encounter drifted back into Axel's mind after trying to do his best to keep those thoughts out of his head. Axel gave an irritated grunt as he frowned. What could praying to Aerith possibly accomplish for him, even now? If anything, it would just stir up sentimental memories that Axel would rather let die with time, and he'd end up a pile of seething angst that would put Edward Cullen to shame.

_'You know she's out there somewhere, and she probably missing you as much as you miss her.'_

Now that was a thought that Axel hadn't thought about in a long time. He missed Aerith more than anything, but did she feel the same way, wherever she was? He was certian that she was spared an unfortunate fate like his own, perhaps having been given the chance to start anew as a human again, or earned her wings to become an angel in Heaven. From what little he had learned from bits and pieces of information about different paths set for a soul, all memories are erased when it is reborn as a human. All memories about past lives will be forgotten, and if that was the case, Aerith might just as well be walking among the people passing by him and have no recollection of her older brother that missed her dearly. He had no idea what the whole memory deal was with other spiritual beings, but all he knew is that he remembered his, at least his most recent human life, and if Aerith turned out to be an angel, then she probably remembered hers, too. Too many technicalities to sift through.

_'__And who knows, she might even hear you.'_

Axel sat upright, utterly preturbed as he reached into his pocket to pull out the rag doll that rested safely in his pocket, absently picking at one of the loose threads as he scowled at himself.

_I can't believe I'm actually doing this, _Axel dreaded as he looked down at the doll in his hand, still skeptical about the whole 'praying' business. _Oh sure, talking to myself is _definately_ going to make my life so much easier. _He bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to think of what to say, even if he did decide to go along with it. It was almost sad; he missed her terribly, wishing she could still be with him, and now that an opprotunity to potentially talk to her had come, he had no idea of what he wanted to say. He also had never prayed before in his either of his lives that he could remember. He wasn't even sure if he was supposed to pray directly to Aerith or if there was some sort of referral process, like "Please leave a message after the beep" or some weird shit like that.

Axel groaned as he could almost hear Demyx trying to encourage him in his head. This only proved that he had spent too much time in Demyx's company. Putting those thoughts aside, he haunched over so his elbows rested on his knees, knitting his fingers together around the dilapidated rag doll and brought it to his forehead and closed his eyes. The sounds of the city aound him filled his ears, but no words came to mind. He still couldn't think of anything to say. After a few minutes of racking his brain to think of something, he grunted in annoyance.

_Okay, I'll bite. This whole praying thing is kinda dumb, but if you're really listening, Aerith, give me some kind of hint as to what I should do about Roxas. Maybe then I'll take this more seriously. _There was a hint of sarcasm in his mind's voice, and when he didn't hear obviously out of place thunder or feel the beginnings of an epic earthquake, he chuckled in spite of himself. What was he doing? He had other things he could be-

What the fuck was touching his feet?

"Holy-!" Axel exclaimed as he bolted upright, almost losing his grip on the doll in his hand as he jerked his head downward to see the culprit of the sudden rubbing on his feet. Right at his feet and rubbing along his leg was a gray cat, fully grown from what Axel could tell, with matted, muddy long fur that was tangled in knots that looked unconquerable. Axel couldn't see it's face, but it's left ear had a chuck of it missing right off the top. The cat was having a grand old time rubbing itself against his leg and purring contently, but Axel was immediately embarrased that he was up in arms over a dumb cat. "Geez, scared the shit out of me." Axel huffed as he tried to nudge the cat away with the foot of his boot gently, but the cat let out a mewl of protest and turned right back around to rub on his leg again. Axel lifted up his foot to see if he had stepped in dog crap or something along those lines that would attract the cat's attention, but the bottom of his boot was clean, minus a few minute grains of gravel stuck between the grooves here and there. As he glanced back down at the cat, he noticed that it looked a little confused, turning in a small circle as if trying to locate the warm appendage that had been moved away. When the cat turned a second time and hit its head on the concrete of the stoop, Axel realized this gray cat was blind.

* * *

This particular incident had occured about two years after Poland had been invaded. Axel found himself suddenly forced to take on not only the responsibility of living on his own, but being a full on parent to his very young little sister Aerith. Now just nineteen years old and balancing a part time job, cleaning his land lady's apartment as a second job, and taking care of Aerith, Axel sometimes felt he was in over his head, but any doubts he had about their current situation he kept to himself. He took some solice in knowing that he had managed to get in his land lady's good graces after cleaning her apartment for several months, and she had offered to watch Aerith for him whenever he was called to work at his job at the local food bank. At least it seemed _someone _was on their side.

Aerith, who had just turned six, too young to completely understand their very delicate housing situation in an apartment complex (their apartment consisting of one bedroom that they shared, a kitchen/den area and a bathroom), started to beg her older brother for a cat. Axel casually brushed off the request at first, figuring her intense desire was only due to the fact that the family next door had a cat that just recently had kittens and had allowed Aerith to play with them one day. After her begging went on to three months, finally had to explain to her, in very simple terms, that they couldn't have a cat right now because they couldn't afford one, the war straining the economy to the brink of a fallout. Still, it's a common fact that know children sometimes love to take initiative, even if they've been told no over and over again.

Axel had literally fallen asleep at the kitchen table that day while listening to the news on the radio. He had just arrived home from a dreadfully long shift at the food bank he worked at part time, and knowing that he had arranged for Aerith to stay with the land lady the night before, he allowed himself to take a desperately needed break at the kitchen table, slumping in a tired heap over the wooden grain of the table and flicking on the radio to listen to the news. He was awake for all of five minutes, listening to the voice of the radio talk of the latest German endeavors and light static before he completely zoned out.

His light slumber was rudely interrupted fifteen minutes later by the sound of the front door slamming shut, making the redhead jolt, wiping a small trail of spit that had dribbled out of the corner of his lip as he stood up, the rickety chair beneath him squealing as it skid across the floor, the male trying to remember if he had locked the door when he came in or not. In these desperate times, it wasn't uncommon to come home to a looted apartment.

"Aerith?" He called out lazily, still in a bit of a haze as he yawned, stretching out his arms over his head as he approached the door to find it unlocked.

"It was me!" The brunette replied hurriedly, and another slamming door made Axel blink in surprise, the second door registering as the bedroom door.

"I've told you to lock the door when you come inside." Axel said rather loudly so that Aerith could hear him as he locked the door. When he didn't recieve some form of apology from her, that was when he started to get concerned. Aerith hardly spent time in their room alone unless it was bedtime, let alone rushing into the bedroom as in need of some sanctuary. Just as he was about to head back to the table to start making dinner, he heard a series of loud noises and rustling about coming from the inhabitated room.

"Everything alright, Mausi(*)?" Axel asked as he approached the small bedroom and gave the door a gentle knock, which he immediately noticed the white paint on the door was beginning to peel something fierce. He had a thought to get a way to repaint it, but then again, he wasn't sure how long their luck at this apartment complex would last. The rustling and noises that he had heard from all the way in the kitchen quickly silenced.

"Yes! I'm okay!" Aerith answered from behind the door, and Axel knew right away that she was up to no good by the sound of childish deceit in her voice. He tried jiggling the handle, but Aerith had locked it shut. "No! No, don't open it yet!"

"Why not?" Axel's brow perked questioningly.

"Because...I...I'm changing!"

"Aerith, you can't just change your clothes just because you went outside, I've told you that wastes soap that we can barely afford." Axel said dissapointedly as he folded his arms at his chest. "What are you really doing?"

"I told you, I'm changing! I got mud on my skirt!" Aerith whined. Her whining was then followed with a loud thud on the ground and then what sounded like a wailing 'meow.' Meow?

"Really?" An amused grin curled on his thin lips. "Let me see."

"No!"

"I said let me see."

"But I'm naked!"

"Like I wasn't the one that changed your soiled rags when you were a baby." Axel rolled his eyes with slight distaste, though there was still a hint of amusement in his voice. "Now open the door." There was a pause, that uncertian pause when a child has realized they had been caught doing something wrong. Axel could only imagine the look on her face, that shocked expression with wide eyes that innocently asked 'How could you possibly punish me? I'm too adorable!' He had fallen for it on several occasions, but if she was really trying to smuggle a cat into the apartment, he wasn't going to have it. He heard the lock on the doorknob turn ever so slowly, and Aerith poked her head out as she cracked the door just enough for him to see the right side of her body. She gave him such an endearing look that would have put a puppy to shame.

"I don't see any mud." Axel hummed with a sly grin as he looked down at her faded skirt. "Don't give me that look, tell me what you're hiding in our room."

"I'm not hiding anything." She replied sweetly.

"Uh huh." Axel gave a slow nod as he placed a hand on the door. "Then open the door all the way so I can see."

"No...um...my room-"

"Aerith, I'm not joking around." Axel's tone immediately became serious and stern, shattering the small child's façade."I'm giving you the chance to tell me what's in there before I have to go in and see for myself. You don't want me to find out you're lying, do you?" It was at these times Axel felt the most conflicted. To Aerith, he was not only the fun and caring older brother, but he was the only fatherly figure she had, and there were times when Axel would have to bite his tongue and act like one. He didn't enjoy diciplining her in the slightest bit, especially if it came down to her needing a smack on the rump to set her straight. Her cries and tears whenever he was forced to resort to such diciplining would break his heart every time, but he knew he had to if she was to be well behaved in the future. Aerith was as sweet as can be, but she was still a child.

Aerith's pleading blubbering came out all at once after that. "I was with Mrs. Guntram and we went outside to get the mail and there was a kitty on the porch and it was really skinny and looked hungry and we took it inside and fed it and I asked if I could keep her and Mrs. Guntram said I had to ask you but I knew you'd say no so I thought if I brought her home and kept her until you got home she'd already be here and you would say yes!"

"Whoa, slow down there before you hurt yourself." Axel chuckled dryly as he placed one of his palms on the top of her head and ruffled her hair affectionately, hearing the sheilded cat meow from the depths of the bedroom. "Now, was that so bad? All I wanted was the truth."

"So...can I...keep her?" Aerith asked breathlessly, winded from her lengthy explanation as she looked up at Axel with her soft green eyes that pleaded desperately to Axel. Axel wished he could comply, but that was Brother Axel's thinking. Daddy Axel had to step in and break the little girl's heart. Well, it was more like Daddy Axel had to drop kick Brother Axel to get him to shut up so Daddy Axel could lay down the law.

"Mausi," Axel sighed softly as he called her by her affectionate pet name, crouching down before her and placing his large hands on her tiny shoulders. Aerith gave him that heartbroken look that said 'you're about to give me one of those long no answers, aren't you' as she frowned, her lip poking out in a childish pout, just like always. "I know you really want a cat, and don't get me wrong, I'd love to have a pet as much as you do, but we really can't afford to take care of one right now. A kitty needs food, a bed, and a litterbox, and they cost money that I don't have."

"But... she needs me, Axel." Aerith whimpered, tears starting to swell in her big round eyes. "The bad red men will take her away." Aerith, being young, didn't understand much about the war that was affecting Poland, but she did know about the Gestapo, whom she always called 'the bad red men.' They frequently paid visits to the complex, at times barging in and conducting random searches in the resident's apartments in search for what the considered criminals in hiding. Axel's apartment had been torn apart by the Gestapo on two different occasions in the last four months because of misguided leads, one of them accusing that Aerith was actually a Jewish child that he was hiding, but the land lady was able to talk them out of persuing the charge. That event shook Axel up to the very core, and since then had been very wary about locking the door and making sure where Aerith would be while he was away at work.

"The red men don't hurt cats." Axel assured her young mind as he squeezed her shoulders a little tighter in reassurance. "But we can find someone to take care of her so she won't have to live on the streets."

"But she needs me, Axel!" Aerith repeated as the tears spilled from her eyes and fell down her rosy cheeks. "She doesn't like anybody but me!"

"I'm sure she'll find another family that she'll like very much." As Aerith's whimpers transformed from whimpers to small cries, Axel could feel it tearing down the walls of his resolve. Brother Axel was doing some major Daddy Axel ass kicking. He tried to think fast, to come up with some kind of compromise to ease Aerith's mind. If he didn't find some way to make her stop, the neighbors would come knocking at his door with complaints in no time. "Shhh, Mausi, stop crying, please," Axel consoled her, his thumbs rubbing her shoulders gently as he tried to calm her down. "Look, how about we do this; we can let the kitty stay until we find a good family that will take care of her, okay? Does that sound good?"

"R-r-real-ly?" Aerith hiccuped through her tears, her tiny right hand coming to wipe her cheeks free of the saltwater-like liquid.

"Yes, really." Axel nodded, letting a small grin slip over his face. "But only for a little while, until we find another family that will take her in." He pressed an index finger into her chest lightly. "Tomorrow, when I'm at work, you and Mrs. Guntram can start asking around the neighborhood to see if anyone wants to take care of the cat for you. But don't go outside unless Mrs. Guntram is with you, understand?" Aerith nodded furiously, her cries dwindling into hiccups and sniffles. Axel reached out and drew the child into a light hug, the brunette clinging to his chest and buring her face into her brother's shoulder, muttering soft 'thank yous' in between sniffles. He rubbed her back gently in an attempt to calm her down further. "Have you given her a name?"

He felt her nod against the dirty white fabric of his shirt, turning her head to her side and making a loud sniffing noise. "Emma." Axel looked over Aerith to peer into the bedroom to see if he could get a look at this coveted cat, but he couldn't see it through the small crack that Aerith had made in the door that was just wide enough for her to slip through, but he could definately hear her in there, mewling and making noises it seemed, bumping up against the wall.

"Let's go see Emma." Axel said, patting her back lightly as he nudged the door open with his free shoulder, and Aerith released her grip on his shirt and skittered into the bedroom, looking around for the unknown cat somewhere inside. Aerith called out for the cat, looking behind the dresser, on the opposite side of the bed, before finally bending down and exclaimed something like 'aha!' before reaching under the bed, a loud meow of protest reaching Axel's ears as he brought himself to his feet.

"Here she is!" Aerith beamed as she lifted the cat up to her chest, hugging it tightly with a wide smile. Axel's reaction was the complete opposite. It was more along the lines of a perked brow, mouth slightly agape, trying his best to contain his disgust at what he saw. Emma was a very, very ugly cat. She had long, bright orange fur that was muddy, tangled, and all around nasty, an aroma of garbage wafing through the air in the bedroom at the cat's presence. The cat's eyes had obvious cataracts, their surfaces covered in a cloudy haze, and a nasty looking scowl where one fang-like tooth proved to be too big for the cat's mouth, or mouth too small for the tooth, jutted through her lips. This cat was definately the ugliest thing Axel had ever seen. "Isn't she pretty?"

"Uhhhh...hm..." Axel muttered, trying to keep his cool as he ran his fingers through his crimson locks. "Are you sure you want to keep Emma, Aerith?"

"Yes, she needs me!" Aerith replied, as if appaled that Axel had asked the question. Axel approached his little sister slowly, his green eyes never leaving the cat that was awkwardly held in Aerith's grasp, her little arms up to his chest with the cat's paws jutting forward like some sort of cat-zombie, which is exactly what Emma looked like. Axel regretted making the deal to her; no one in their right mind would want to adopt a cat that looked like that.

"But...Aerith, I think Emma is sick." Axel said, trying to tell her the truth gently. As he stood before them both, he noticed that Emma had not acknowledged his presence at all. He could tell Emma was blind just by her eyes, but out of curiousity, he brought one of his hands beside Emma's torn up ears and snapped his fingers. The cat's ear didn't budge. Not only was this cat blind, but she was also deaf.

"I know." Aerith replied, moving over to sit on the bed and holding Emma (somewhat against her will) in her lap, petting her head as she gave the orange cat a warm smile. "That's why she needs me. She doesn't have eyes or ears, so I have to be her eyes and ears for her."

Axel couldn't think of anything to say in response. These were the moments that Aerith's kindness always surprised him. If it were him, he wouldn't have given that cat a passing glance. Yet, Aerith was determined to keep this cat because she truly felt like she needed her. She saw past Emma's ugliness and accepted her all the same. Perhaps he wasn't as bad of a parent/brother that he sometimes thought he was. Feeling humbled, the redhead sat down beside his sister on the bed and coiled an arm around her shoulders, the little girl reflexively leaning her head into his side with Emma now relaxed in her lap as she petted her matted orange fur.

It was these moments with her that gave him hope for their future.

* * *

Axel watched this grey cat stumble around in search of his leg until it sucessfully found the other close by, starting to rub against his left leg and purr loudly. He couldn't shake this nostalgic feeling as he started to laugh, though it wasn't a laugh of joy, but one of those empty laughs that left his chest aching with a dull pain as he remembered Emma. Aerith wasn't lying when she had said Emma only liked her; that cat was the sweetest thing to that child, and hated Axel with an unknown seething hatred. Trying to lead her to the scrapped newspaper for her to use the bathroom on was like a whole other war in itself, and Axel always had fresh battle wounds on his hands after every ordeal. They never did find another family for that cat, but it didn't really matter, because she died about a month after they took her in, most likely out of old age. Axel didn't bat an eyelash over it, but Aerith was heartbroken for weeks.

"Really?" Axel said to no one in particular, the cat hearing the sound of his voice and perked it's ears as it looked up at him, giving him the classical blank, aimless blind stare. All at once, the gray cat that was at his feet was suddenly in his lap, having carefully judged it's jump according to the sound it had heard. Axel blinked as he suddenly had ugly cat all up in his business, but as he recalled memories of that ugly orange cat from long ago, he didn't push the feline away, and instead let it prod at his thighs curiously as he looked up at the cloudy blue sky above him that was beginning to glow with a yellow tint, a telltale sign of the sun beginning to set.

_Don't knock it 'till you try it! _The hypothetical statement spoken in Demyx's voice rang in his ears, making him sigh as he searched the clouds above him, almost as if looking for something, but he knew that nothing would come to him. The cat had found his arm and was nudging the hand that rested in his lap, making the demon begin to pet the animal's head absently.

_Okay then, I take back what I said about praying. I guess it really does work. _Axel felt his chest swell with joy at the thought that Aerith had quite possibly heard his half hearted prayer and answered it in her own sweet way, but he didn't dismiss the chance of all of this being a weird coincidence. _Can you really hear me, Mausi? It's almost too good to be true... _Axel's bright green gaze drifted downwards to the grey cat in his lap, staring at the purring feline curled up in his lap as he began to decypher this hint he had been given.

* * *

Four days without Axel. Four days of sleeping alone. Four days of going to class alone (in a sense, at least, but Axel wasn't there all the same.) Four days of anxious, restless waiting. Four days of complete and utter torture.

Roxas sat at the bar in the kitchen, his arms folded on the white and dark gray marbled surface with his chin resting atop his folded arms and staring directly at the mobile house phone sitting right in front of him. He stared at this mobile phone as if it held all the answers to the world's questions. He was staring at it so intently because he was currently debating on whether or not to go ahead and throw in the towel and schedule a hair appointment to get his hair cut. Cut as in almost all of it. It would be a shocker, definately, and even he wasn't very comfortable with the idea, but if it's really what Axel wanted, then Roxas was going to give it to him. A sudden hand on his shoulder made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"I'm sorry dude, but she's just not that into you." His younger brother Sora teased in his ear. Roxas grumbled in annoyance and shrugged him off.

"Go away, I'm busy." Roxas said, only glancing at Sora breifly.

"Touchy, touchy!" Sora grinned as he came around Roxas and walked over to the refrigerator, opening up the stainless steel door to peer inside for something to munch on. "What's wrong with you? You've been sitting there for a half hour."

"Nothing's wrong, just trying to make a decision."

"About what?" Sora said absently as he shuffled around several different Tupperware containers.

"If I want to get my hair cut or not."

"Why?" Sora looked over his shoulder at his older brother, giving him a confused look. "You got it cut, like, two months ago."

"I'm thinking about cutting it again." Roxas said irritably, Sora not making the situation any better at all.

"Ooookay, whatever floats yer boat." Sora shrugged as he resumed his pillaging of the refrigerator. "Don't forget to get your eyebrows pucked and your nuts waxed while you're there."

"Will you shut the fuck up and go bother someone else?" Roxas hissed as he picked up the nearest throwable object, which was a banana, and threw it at the thirteen year old's head. The banana made contact with the back of his head, making the brunette wince and let out a cry in pain as he dropped a small carton of pudding onto the floor and grabbed at the back of his head.

"I was just kidding, Roxas!" Sora whined as he gave his blonde brother a death glare, but it didn't phase Roxas in the slightest, who only shrugged. Frazzled, the brunette mumbled under his breath as he reached down and picked up both the pudding and the banana up off of the floor, throwing the banana back at Roxas before shutting the refrigerator door. Roxas ducked the flying fruit and made a lunge for another, but Sora was already running out the door before he had a chance to attack a second time. Roxas then turned his attention back to the phone, staring at it for several more moments before finally reaching out to grab the phone and pressed the call button to go through recent calls in search of the hairdresser's number. Yes, hairdresser. Apparently, barber shops didn't exist in the city. At least in this one, it didn't.

After a few minutes of searching, he finally found the number labled 'Cut Above' and pressed the call button a second time. Roxas gingerly held the phone up to his ear, biting on his lower lip as he had another quick arguement as to whether or not he should do this or not. _Please don't pick up, please don't pick up..._

"Cut Above, this is Sandra, how can I help you?" A petite voice twittered on the other line. Roxas let his forehead fall to the marble countertop, letting out an audible, dreaded groan. He was hoping no one would pick up for some random reason. "Excuse me?"

"Uh, yeah..." Roxas said, his voice partially mumbled due to his lips being plastered to the countertop. "I want to make an appointment for a haircut. Adult charge."

"Okie dokie, just one moment please." Roxas' brows scrunched together as he turned his head to the side to look at the phone as if it had grown wings. Who the hell says 'okie dokie'? "We have an opening Friday afternoon at 4 pm. Is that convenient enough for you?"

"I guess so." Roxas drawled as he brought the phone back to his ear.

"Okay, name and phone number please~"

"Roxas Grimm. 698-78-...!" Roxas was suddenly stopped by the phone being jerked out of his hand. Roxas' eyes widened as he looked up to see who had stolen the phone away from him, ready to start pummeling Sora with another banana.

"Sorry, wrong number." A familiar voice that belonged to a certian redhead spoke into the reciever before a long thumb mashed the 'end' button. Roxas' lips parted to gasp in surprise, but no sound came as he sat upright to meet the unnaturally bright green eyes of that Preta named Axel. Axel set the phone down on the counter before reaching out to grab Roxas' wrist and tug him out of the bar stool.

"Axel..?" Roxas said, as if not completely convinced that Axel was really there. Axel didn't answer him, instead began to almost literally drag him through the house and up the staircase, down the hallway and into the blonde's room, closing the door shut behind them both. Roxas broke away from Axel's grasp as the Preta fell back against the door, heaving a sigh of releif.

"What was that for?" Roxas asked in a slightly irritated tone, though all he really wanted to do was squeeze Axel tightly and bask in his warmth that he had actually come to miss, having feared the Preta really wasn't going to return.

"I didn't want to run into your damn dogs." Axel replied tersely as he adjusted his collar somewhat absently as he came off of the door. "I almost had a heart attack looking for you down there."

"What's with you and your hatred for my dogs?"

"Here you are, full of questions as always." Axel rolled his eyes a little, making the blonde huff in reluctance. The demon then flashed him a small, catty smile. "But in all seriousness, I came to fufill my end of this little arguement before it was too late. I'm glad I caught you just in time." Roxas could feel a smile of his own bubbling in the corner of his mouth, the two of them just sharing a breif moment of silence before Roxas cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Yeah...um...I've been wanting to talk to you too." Roxas said softly, feeling his cheeks flush a little as he glanced away, giving an indication for them both to sit on the bed. Axel gave a nod at the invitation and the two moved towards the bed, Roxas sitting on the edge closest to the head of the bed, with Axel about a foot or two away. There was another breif silence, though this one was a bit more uncomfortable.

"Roxas, I-" Axel tried to say before he was cut off.

"No, I want to say something first." Axel stopped mid-sentence, frowing with his lips still partially opened before shutting his jaw.

"Okay." Axel folded his arms and shifted in his seat so he sat facing Roxas, his long legs still sitting over the side of the bed with his torso facing the blonde. Roxas hesitated a moment, glancing about the room as he tried to come up with some way to get the 'heart to heart' that he had rehearsed in his head started, but now that he time had finally arrived, he was drawing a blank. After sitting ther looking like an idiot for a little while, the blonde finally spoke.

"First off...I'm glad you're back, I really am." Roxas started off with a meek smile, making the Preta grin once more.

"Aw, I knew you'd miss me." Axel cooed teasingly, resisting the urge to ruffle his yummy looking blonde hair. Roxas' cheeks flushed once more before he spoke again.

"I want to apologize for blowing up at you like I did Saturday." Roxas said as he picked at a loose thread in his green basketball shorts idly. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. But I was being completely serious about what I said. I'm really tired of you hiding things from me and acting like you can't tell me anything." Roxas paused for a moment, recollecting his thoughts. "I had a talk with...Kairi and the others on Saturday, and I got to thinking about some things."

"What do you mean you talked to Kairi?" Axel asked confusedly. Roxas shook his head.

"It doesn't matter, I'll explain later." He assured the redhead. "I still don't think we should be...intimate like before...until you can trust me with your all. I don't want you to think I'm pressuring you to telling me, because the last thing I want to do is to make you go away...you're a really close friend, Axel, and I don't want to lose you. I won't make you say anything if you don't want to. You can tell me everything when you're ready." After Roxas finished, there was yet another short silence, the Preta blinking several times as the two stared at each other. The awkwardness of Axel staring at him made his cheeks turn pink for the third time, Roxas cursing his bashfulness.

"Are you finished?" Axel asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah."

"Okay then, my turn." Axel slapped his knees as he rose to his feet. "I want to show you something."

"We aren't going anywhere, are we?" Roxas asked, recalling the last time Axel wanted to show him something. Axel smiled a little and shook his head.

"No, we're staying right here." Axel replied, moving so that he stood directly in front of Roxas. It was then that Axel finally made a move, one of his large hands reaching out towards the blonde to rest it upon his head gently, his fingers laying still as he waited to see if Roxas would protest to the gesture. Roxas felt Axel's warm fingers upon his scalp, biting the inside of his cheek to prevent a soft sigh from escaping his lips, but his head tilted slightly into the appendage in a welcoming manner. Long fingertips grazed atop his golden blonde locks thoughtfully, the gesture making Roxas shiver a little from lack of contact for several days.

"I don't want you to think I don't trust you, because I do." Axel spoke softly as he combed through Roxas' hair, ignoring his stomach's screaming in hunger. Roxas was more important than a meal right now. "You've gotta understand, I haven't met someone like you in all of my sixty years as a Preta. All I've cared about for all these years was racking up as much good karma as I could so I could earn my ticket back to being human again and forget about everything. I don't think I've mentioned it, but when a soul's reborn as a human, all the memories from previous lives as a Preta, angel, or whatever else there is is erased. You've lived many lives before this one, Roxas, but you don't remember anything. I want the clean slate that you have." Axel paused, ruffling his crimson locks anxiously. "Now I'm going to be completely honest with you... it isn't because I don't trust you that I haven't told you anything about me. The reason is because I'm afraid you'll judge me for my past."

"Why would I do something like that?" Roxas asked as he looked up at Axel with his big blue eyes, their genuine concern making the Preta just want to kiss him, but he restrained the urge for now.

"Because I was apart of something very violent and very hard to talk about." Axel exhaled loudly through his nose as he withdrew his hand away from Roxas' hair and moving it to the upper zipper of his coat. "I want to show you the real me." Roxas' mind began to reel as Axel slowly started to unzip his coat. He had no idea what to make of this gesture, like if he was about to transform into a gargoyle or if this was some sort of code for wanting sex, which he definately wasn't ready for with Axel. He was about to make Axel stop before the coat fell to the floor, exposing the Preta's upper body to Roxas for the first time.

Roxas gasped at what he saw. Axel's chest was covered in scars, some of them so large and gruesome that it made Roxas visibly shiver. They were everywhere; his chest, his stomach, his shoulders, his arms... some scars blended in with Axel's pale skin, others an angry pink or red, some a few shades darker, almost brown. Some were flat, others raised and gruesome looking in appearance, other making noticeable indentions in his skin. One of the most notible scars on Axel's chest was one that started just below his collar bone, slashing down his chest and crossing over Axel's left nipple, which looked almost completely rubbed off in comparison to the other on the right side which was in perfect condition. It was almost to painful to look at at first. He could also see the dried up wounds that were the source of the blood on his sheets on Axel's right side. As he took in the sight before him, Roxas remembered how he had become aware of Axel's ghastly appearance not long after they had met, and the gashes and scars littering his body was a gruesome reminder.

"What are these...?" Roxas gaped.

"These are from my previous life," Axel replied solemnly, slowly crossing his arms due to him feeling a little uncomfortable with Roxas staring like he was. "I know I've told you I couldn't take my coat off, but..." The Preta closed his eyes as he sighed softly. "I didn't want you to have to see how disgusting I really am physically. This right here is me. No joke, no illusion, this is the real me. You can think of me what you will, but I just want you to know that it's not because I don't care about you that I've hidden this and other things about me from you."

Axel was surprised when Roxas' arms reached up his hands tugging at Axel's arms that were reluctant to break away from his chest, but after tugging on them a second time, Axel allowed him to move his arms so that Roxas could look at his chest again. Roxas continued to study him, bringing his left hand to Axel's chest and let his fingertips glide gently over his abused skin, curving with every scar and every dent in Axel's flesh all the way down to his navel. Axel didn't know what to make of Roxas' actions and was about to push him away to make him stop.

"You aren't disgusting." The blonde said, his caring tone catching Axel completely off gaurd.

"...What?"

"I said, you aren't disgusting." Roxas repeated, looking up at the Preta. The understanding that reflected in Roxas' blue pools left him speechless. It was a familiar kind of understanding, that acceptance that he had seen in Aerith's eyes so long ago for that ugly orange cat. Completely disregaurding Roxas' earlier statement of no closeness, Axel moved so he sat down right beside the blonde, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him into his lap so Roxas was straddling him while facing him. Roxas' face turned red as he realized where he was, but he had little time to react as he felt Axel wrap his arms around him and knit his fingers together at the small of his back, leaning to lay his head on the blonde's shoulder as his warm breath washed over his partially tan skin. Roxas reveled in the feeling of having Axel close to him again; he honestly didn't want them to stop being close, but he figured it was the right thing to say at a time like this.

"You have no idea how happy I am right now." Axel murmured into Roxas' skin as he littered the blonde's shoulder and base of his neck with light kisses. His warm lips on Roxas' cool flesh made sparks of pleasure tingle down Roxas' spine, the blonde's eyes becoming half lidded as he wrapped his arms around Axel's neck, laying his head atop Axel's and stroking his red hair gently. The Preta ceased his kissing and buried his face into the crook of Roxas' neck, releasing a hot, soft sigh into it. "There's another reason why it's been hard for me to tell you anything about me."

"What?" Roxas asked as he let his eyes drift to a close.

"You remind me of someone I used to know when I was alive. He was lonely and didn't have a great understanding of what was going on around him. But even though we were totally different people, we somehow managed to become friends. We weren't supposed to even look at each other, let alone speak to one another, but we still did. He was a good friend to me, and gave me hope when I really needed it." There was a pause, the silence being muffled by the sound of Axel's breathing bouncing off of Roxas' skin. "But I fucked up big time. All because I let my anger get the best of me, and now I'm stuck like this."

"I'm sorry..." Roxas muttered, unsure of anything else to say.

"Don't be, it isn't your fault." Axel began to rub Roxas' clothed back gently. "Just...I really don't want to make that mistake twice." Roxas heard Axel's voice falter as he spoke, the blonde lifting his head and bringing his hands to frame Axel's face and place a kiss on his lips, ripples of those same tingling sparks dancing up and down his back again from the hypersensitivity of the lack of Axel's presence the past few days. He was elated when the redhead kissed him back gently, almost sweetly, the kiss lasting for several long moments before they simultaneously pulled away, Roxas' hands dropping from Axel's face to his broad shoulders.

"I want to tell you about it. I need to tell someone about it, I know that. I just don't have the mental strength to do it yet." Axel kept talking, one of his hands reaching up to curl around the back of Roxas' neck, his still gloved fingers toying with the fine blonde hairs on the back of the teen's neck. "Just be patient with me...okay?"

"I'll wait." Roxas nodded with a warm smile, making the Preta smile slightly in response and kiss the blonde again. They sat there like this having missed each other's company, each other's warmth, after spending a little more than a month together.

"Daecher." Axel said softly in between one of their breif breaks from kissing.

"Huh?" Roxas asked, blinking in confusion. The Preta gave him his trademark grin.

"My last name. You said you didn't know it, now you do."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Roxas chuckled as he hugged Axel's neck.

* * *

_**(*) Mausi- German pet name or affectionate term, means 'little mouse.' D'awwww. Obviously Axel and Aerith were speaking in German during the flashback, but I didn't want to bother with the lengthy translations that would flaunt my noobness. Just pretend I slipped in subtitles. :D**_

_**And this is the part where you yell at me for not making make up sex. D: You dun rush these kinda things, people! Axel doesn't need bad rape-age karma! Christ... But fluff is good, yes? Sex comes soon, pinky promise!**_

**_Thanks for all of the alerts, favorites, and reviews! Please keep your reviews coming, I enjoy them very much. I'm very review friendly, I try to respond to all of them when I have the time. If I miss you, I'm sorry! For the new alerters, I'd appreciate at least one review from you to know what you think._**


	19. Shattering Porcelian

_**A/N: I am really sorry this update took so long. I just recently had surgery on my shoulder, and I've been recovering from the procedure. I've been able to type this update during the process, but I could only do so much before my arms would start hurting. This chapter is the longest yet *sweatdrop* REALLY SORRY about the length...but I couldn't shorten it like I normally do. But this chapter's important, so it's okay. Sorry if it bothers you though.**_

* * *

Naminé didn't know how long she had been asleep. From the looks of it, it must have been all through the night, maybe longer than that, because she could see the faintest glimmers of sunlight shining through the thick fog that still swirled around her. She slowly rose to her feet, letting her six wings flex their tense muscles from being closed for so long as a soft yawn escaped her lips, her hand covering the opening politely. After her yawn had come and gone, she looked up above, still quite uncertian how much farther it was going to be to the summit. She began to grow doubtful, a veil of dissapointment shrouding her features. What if she couldn't make it? What if she wasn't allowed to? She had not thought about that when she first left; she was too concerned about alerting the gods of the foreboding danger that lingered in the air around Heaven. Her heart sank with every second that she stood there, coming to the slow realization that there was a possibility that she had come all this way for nothing.

The fine, bleach blonde hairs on the back of her neck bristled as she noticed a significant change in the pressure around her. Frightened, the angel took sanctuary in the farthest corner of the alcove, her hands clasped together and held tightly to her chest right under her chin, eyes darting about suspiciously like a frightened fawn. There was a faint, hushing wind that began to brew in this predominantly windless place, and the fog began to sway. Swirls of white and gray began to churn before her, and Naminé could sense someone approaching, and a sillouette that was steadily becoming larger through the fog confirmed her suspicions. The angel's eyes grew wide with fear and uncertianty, her heart pounding as she expected the worst case scenario to play out. She didn't have enough time to call out one of her combat vessels to protect her in the event of a confrontation.

"You have nothing to fear here." A calming voice spoke to her, most likely coming from the figure approaching her. Naminé's slight trembling ceased at the stranger's words, but she didn't let he gaurd down, she wouldn't, until she could see their face. She remained silent, and so did the stranger that came forth through the swirling fog, bare feet making contact with the brownish dirt of the alcove's entrance. Naminé still couldn't see that well, but she could at least she could tell they were male, his true appearance still hidden behind a translucent veil. The stranger must have sensed the angel's hesitation, for with a mere swipe of his hand out in front of him, the lingering light fog was lifted, and Naminé was able to see him at last. He had the appearance and build of a young adult with long, beautifully gleaming silver hair that brushed against his broad shoulders, almost blending in to the hue of the fog around them. His eyes were concealed by a piece of white cloth that was tied around his head like a blindfold, his body adorned in a long white cloak that's length reached to his ankles. Having an artistic eye, Naminé noticed the golden colored thread that were sewn into the trimmings of the sleeves and lower hem at his feet in an intricate pattern, a detail that could have easily been missed by any other eye at first glance. Though his clothing was simple, it seemed so regal and radiant at the same time, and Naminé knew she wasn't dealing with any ordinary angel, if he was an angel at all.

"Don't think I can't see you there because my eyes are covered, Naminé." The silver haired being stated, and Naminé saw his lips curl into a small frown.

"...You know my name?" Naminé questioned sheepishly, remaining in the farthest corner of the rocky alcove.

"Everyone knows who you are. Naminé, the Angel of Prayer, one of the highest ranking Devas in Heaven. Did I miss anything?" Naminé shook her head slowly, but she wasn't sure if he had seen her do it. The male's frown faded as he gave a sageful nod, apparently having noted her body's movements somehow. "I didn't think so."

"What about you...?" Naminé let her hands fall to her sides after she was certian that she wasn't going to be attacked. "Are you a...god?" The male gave a chuckle as he took a few steps closer to the angel before him, a small, amused smile on his face.

"No, but I can see why you'd think I was. I'm almost there, but not quite yet." Naminé watched as he manuvered around the rocks effortlessly, his face not breaking away from her for a single moment as he did so. Naminé was amazed. How could he see? When he finally came to stand before her, he 'looked' down at her and extended a single hand in a formal greeting. "My name is Riku. I am the voice of the gods on Pure Abode's summit, and I'm sorry to have startled you." Naminé looked down at the hand before her that was significantly bigger than her own, and looked powerful enough to crush her delicate hand. She noticed that his palms were wrapped in what looked like bandages that seemed to go up the length of his arm, but as to how far she wasn't sure, for they dissapeared under the sleeve of his cloak.

"It's all right." Naminé replied as she gingerly took his hand and gave it a shake, their hands parting ways after several moments, and Riku let out a soft sigh as he brought his hand back to his side.

"Why is it that you've come so far away from your home?" Riku asked.

"I wanted to reach the summit to speak to the gods." Naminé admitted, her deep blue gaze shifting away in guilt. She had a feeling that she really wasn't supposed to be here.

"I'm afraid that's impossible."

"Why?" Naminé looked back up at Riku, overcome with worry.

"Because you're still a Deva. Pure Abode's summit is restricted to all except the gods themselves and their aids, such as myself. The fog you've been traveling through serves as the barrier. It may not have felt like it, but you were pretty much flying into an invisible wall. I'm surprised someone such as you didn't know that."

"Oh..." The blonde angel hung her head, shame crashing into her like a tidal wave. Of course, she should have known that. Did she really think she would be able to just show up on the gods' doorstep and be listened to? She didn't think her plan out as thoroughly as she thought. "I'm very sorry, please forgive me."

"Don't worry, you aren't in trouble." Riku assured her with a gentle hand upon the girl's shoulder. "We didn't want to see you struggle and get hurt. But if you came all this way, you must have a good reason. If you wish to speak to the gods, then speak to me." Naminé gave Riku a questioning stare. "Like I've already said in my introduction, I am the voice of the gods. You see, they don't have a physical being. They can't be seen, but they are a force of spiritual energy that makes them just as real. In a similar fashion to how you create vessels to do your bidding, souls that have finally passed the final highest Deva stage to reach Enlightenment become their aids. They speak all around us with a voice that can't be heard, so I am the one that makes it heard. There is a mutual, intimate bond between the gods and their aids; they are my eyes, and I am their voice. It's much more complicated than that, but that's the overall picture. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good, now share your concerns with me." Gently pushing on her shoulder, Riku lead Naminé to one of the larger rocks, the angel taking her seat upon its hard surface, with Riku taking his seat beside her. There was a silence that hung in the air for several moments as Naminé tried to sort out her thoughts that were fluttering about due to nervousness, and Riku patiently waited for the shy angel to speak.

"I... I speak with no intention to question the highest authority." Naminé began hesitantly, her fingers toying with the hem of her simple white dress nervously. "I've humbly served their will for many years, and I continue to do so for the rest of eternity. It is because of my faithfulness that I am here now and I wish to bring their attention to something that has been plaguing my mind for some time."

"Yes," Riku said in an encouraging tone when the angel became silent again.

"The flowers...they speak to me, they speak to all of us. A while ago, they warned me of an unknown danger, and I took it upon myself to find out why, as would any servant." Now here came the hard part that Naminé had been dreading to say. "I am fully aware of the Asura's treaty with the gods that was made three hundred years ago, but I have reason to believe that the Asuras are intending to breach the treaty and create chaos once again."

"I see." Riku's tone had become icy cold and serious, so much that it gave Naminé chills. She looked up again at Riku, and though she couldn't see his eyes, she knew they were staring at her, most likely in an equally cold stare. "I hate to make light of your worry, Naminé, but the gods have been aware of this disturbance for quite some time. If it was absolutely anything to worry about, I can assure you that they would have sent someone to prepare Heaven's population for another war. They are confident of the treaty. The disturbance that you might have felt might have just been a premonition of a civil war within the Asura's own population outside of Heaven's gates, and that comes as no surprise."

"Yes, but..." Naminé bit the corner of her lip as she tried to latch on to something else, anything else, that would help her arguement. "They are violating the laws of this plane. They've been recruiting Pretas from the Earthly plane and the World In Between and bringing them here with the promise to make them gods, and they aren't allowed to do that. Pretas are forbidden to come to the higher plane. But the Asura's intentions with them are far more sinister..." Naminé's voice dwindled to a soft, solemn whisper as she clutched onto the hem of her dress, her expression so saddened that it might have looked like she was going to cry. "They are harvesting their souls."

"Why would they have a reason to harvest the souls of Pretas?"

"I don't know. But it's still wrong. Souls are supposed to move on into the afterlife to be reincarnated, but they are slaughtering these Pretas for their souls and preventing them from being reincarnated."

"Do you have any proof of this?" Naminé's eyes shot wide open. _Proof_? Her lips parted to speak, but no sound came. She had proof to an extent; she had one of her vessels plant themselves onto Xemnas in the underside of his coat, which is how she knew about the slaughtering. However, only she could see the connection between her and her own vessel, so she was the only one who could see the images that it witnessed. The only way she could prove her aligations was if she ordered the vessel to return, but Naminé didn't want to risk it being spotted and destroyed, nor did she want to lose track of him for a single second.

"...Not with me." Naminé admitted sadly. "But... isn't the fact that countless souls are being captured and possibly tortured enough to warrant an intervention?"

"Are you accusing the gods of being heartless?" Riku asked with an accusing tone, his brows scrunching together.

"No, of course not!" Naminé exclaimed. "I...I mean..."

"I'm sorry, Naminé, I really am, but you have no reason to be alarmed unless the gods are alarmed themselves. They are all knowing, and I'm positive that if they felt that the balance of these planes were in jeopardy, they would have taken action by now. They see the past, present, the future, all things and everything. All is well."

"All is not well, not at all!" Naminé whimpered as she covered her face with her hands, feeling tears beginning to pool in the corners of her eyes. "So many souls are in danger...even those on Earth, human, Preta, and animal alike, they are all in danger, too. There are disturbances there that I'm sure the Asuras would be more than happy to use against us and throw us into another war!"

"Enough." Riku's voice shot through her like a bullet in her chest. He had not yelled, he had not screamed, but the anger that had risen in his tone was a reflection of the gods' own, and Naminé was certian that she had unintentionally crossed the line. They didn't believe her. She couldn't believe it herself. They knew what Xemnas was doing to all of those poor souls, they knew that he was unlawfully bringing Pretas into the outskirts of Heaven, and they were doing absolutely nothing about it. They knew it all, even the tiniest problem, including the equally unlawful interaction between human and Preta, and they showed no judgement. How was this possible? For the first time in centuries, Naminé found herself doubting the gods' judgement. As tears slid down her soft pink cheeks, her small body trembled as she tried to fight back her mourning cries. There was something wrong, she knew it, but if the gods wouldn't believe her, then she was certian that no one else would.

She heard Riku shuffle beside her, and when she heard his footsteps upon the ground, she knew that he was leaving her. The angel didn't look up at him, but kept her eyes hidden behind her palms as she cried softly.

"The last thing we want is for you to cry." Riku finally spoke again, though his voice was a little distant from her, with a twinge of pity. "I'm confident that if any of your accusations are true, they will act upon them. For your sake, I will try to reason with them with the information you've given me, but I can't garuntee that they will change their minds." There was a short pause. "For now, I would advise for you to resume your duties of prayer distribution and leave the investigating up to us. I wish you a safe trip home. Goodbye."

Naminé heard the small breeze that had signaled Riku's entrance pick up once again, and once it's feather soft touch had left her alabaster skin, she knew that he was gone. The angel couldn't bring herself to look up, she couldn't bring herself to stand, she just sat there in the alcove and cried. She cried for those poor, captured souls, she cried for the Pretas that were being lined up like pigs to slaughter, and she cried for the uncertian future.

All of her years of servitude made her want to obey Riku's advice. Yet, her pure, kindhearted soul knew that there was injustice, and her nature just couldn't bear to turn a blind eye. If the gods wouldn't fight for them, then she would, even if it meant disobeying their will. It was one against uncountable hundreds, perhaps, but her heart screamed for her to do something, to do the right thing.

_'Saïx, status report.' _

Naminé's ears began to ring, and the flow of tears leaking from her eyes came to an abrupt halt as a vocal transmission from her undercover vessel was being directed to her attention. There was no visual, most likely because there wasn't much to see on the inside of a coat tail besides Xemnas' rear end, and Naminé had no interest in that whatsoever.

_'The transfusion is almost complete. I'm very confident about this one, sir, it's proving to be very promising.'_

_'Very good, then. Now, what about her target's wherabouts? Is he still alive?'_

_'Yes, and still resistant to submit to the Organization.'_

_'Well we can't have that now, can we?' _Naminé heard the white haired Asura chuckle ominously, followed by a series of what sounded like bottles being shuffled around.

_'Shall I pay him a visit?'_

_'I don't think that will be necessary. It's apparent that Axel is unwilling to join the Organization willingly.' _Xemnas gave a dissapointed sigh. _'It's quite a shame, really. He was the most promising of them all. Then again, I would never expect any less from him. He always was the arrogant one, and that remains apparent even in his lifetimes following his death.'_

_'Then what are your orders?' _There was a long pause after Saïx's question, so long that Naminé was beginning to wonder if her vessel was malfunctioning until she heard Xemnas clear his throat.

_'Twelve days. We shall give him twelve Earth days to change his mind and join the Organization. If he fails, then I will see to it that he recieves the ultimate punishment personally.'_

* * *

***Week 5, Day 36, Thursday***

"Can I see it?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Come on, please?"

"I said no, Axel."

"Roxassss," Axel whined pitifully as he suddenly collapsed onto the blonde that was sitting beside him on the bench just outside the school's gate as they awaited Hayner and company to arrive so Roxas could join them in their Thursday ritual. Roxas huffed as he was pushed down with the weight of the redheaded Preta on his back along with his already heavy bookbag, trying his best to fight back by pushing him off. Axel was undeterred by Roxas' pushing, and propped himself up on Roxas' bookbag with his elbows and sighed boredly. "Don't be so selfish. Sharing is caring."

"I don't share with people that try to squish me to death." Roxas barked as he tried to jab his elbow into Axel's stomach, but he wasn't exactly in a very comfortable position, so the jab didn't prove to be as effective as he had hoped. "Get off before someone sees me like this!"

"Not until you let me see it." Axel hummed as he pushed down on his elbows a little harder, making the teen beneath him let out a wheeze.

"You're being annoying again!"

"You're being an ass again. It's not like I'm going to eat it or anything." Axel rolled his eyes.

"Fine, whatever, it's in the front pocket of my backpack, take it!" Axel's lips broke out into a grin as his hands dived into the front pocket of Roxas' black backpack, his fingers clumsily fishing around for a certian thin, sleek device that Roxas always carried in his pocket or in his bookbag and never let Axel touch due to his lack of knowledge of modern day technology...there! Roxas cleared his throat impatiently as Axel claimed his bounty, which was Roxas' iTouch that was wrapped in a blue chord that Axel could only assume was headphones, though it was the kind that were so small that they fit inside the ears, totally unlike the bulky ones he was used to back in his time. His curious green eyes glanced over the device, slipping his fingers under the chord and letting it fall loose and falling into a neat pile on Roxas' backpack.

"What now?" Axel asked, pressing the single button he saw at the bottom of the almost paper-thin mp3 player. His eyes lit up as the dead, black screen suddenly came to life, a photo of a group of people in a band standing close together with the words 'Rascal Flatts' in bold over their heads, and the words 'Slide to Unlock' beneath the photo with an arrow. "And what's Rascal Flatts?"

"They're a band, Axel." Roxas said tersely. "You got my iPod like you wanted, now get off before I fucking punch you in the nuts." The Preta consented at last, a little too distracted with the iTouch to come up with some sort of comeback to Roxas' threats. Axel was confused, there were no keys for him to press, only a screen that commanded him to slide something to unlock it. He flipped the black and silver device over, finding nothing along the back but some very fine white print, his brow scrunching together in confusion.

"How the heck are you supposed to use this if there's no buttons?" Axel asked dryly.

"It's touch screen. See, look," Roxas took the iTouch away from the redhead, flipping it back over to slide his finger across the screen, and a faint clicking noise was heard as all of the wonders of the Apple iTouch was revealed. Axel's eyes grew wide as he snatched the iTouch away again, sliding his black gloved fingers across the screen, but nothing happened, causing an unsatisfied frown to form on his lips.

"I thought you said it was touch screen."

"It is, but I think it senses the heat in your fingers or something. Try taking your glove off." Axel brought his right hand to his lips and gripped a slight bubble of air beneath the fabric that was at the very tip of his middle finger with his teeth, the glove sliding off with ease as his large pale hand slipped out of it. He let the glove fall to his lap as he slid his index finger along the screen again, this time bearing an action of flipping through Roxas' several pages worth of applications, most of them for entertainment purposes. As Roxas looked up to see Axel's reaction, he couldn't help but chuckle at the look on the redhead's face; he looked like a six year old opening presents at Christmas time. _That's right_, Roxas thought, _he's never actually used one of these before._

"This is pretty cool." Axel mused as he reached the end of the applications, reading over each one of them. "So it plays music, right?"

"Yeah, and it does other things too, like check emails, play games, internet, and alot of other things."

"Where the hell was this sixty years ago?" Axel joked with a grin as he started sifting through Roxas' music playlists. He had watched the world's technology grow through the years, but never has he had the chance to actually fiddle around with an iPod before. He knew how to type on the computer, but only because he had watched so many other people do it, and even that takes him a while, tapping at the keys individually with his index fingers. Roxas was about to show him how to use it when he saw Olette and Pence round the corner of the gate and head in his direction.

"Hey, my friends are coming now," Roxas said, holding out his hand in a motion for Axel to give the iTouch back. Axel looked at Roxas and then down at the iTouch, clenching it in his hands.

"Can't I mess around with it while you're getting ice cream? It's not like I have anything better to do." Axel huffed.

"You don't know how to use it." Roxas gave him a very parental-looking glare.

"I'm not retarded, I can figure it out." Axel assured him, staring right back at him, having no intention of returning the device to it's owner at the moment. The two of them glared at each other for several moments, but Roxas was running out of time as Olette and Pence were getting closer. To save himself from embarassment, he sighed and decided to give in.

"Fine, just don't break it, please?" Roxas asked kindly. Axel smiled and leaned forward to kiss the blonde's forehead as his thank you, because Pence and Olette had arrived in earshot distance, and didn't want to embarass Roxas _too_ much by making it look like he was talking to himself. The small blush that followed the kiss was good a enough degree for embarassment to him. Roxas quickly rubbed his cheeks with his hand to try to play it off as Axel put the earbuds of the headphones in his ears to indulge in the iTouch's unknown wonders for a couple of hours.

"Hey Roxas, you're out here early." Pence greeted the blonde on the bench with an enthusiastic wave.

"I had a test last period and I finished early, so the teacher let me out for the day." Roxas explained his early arrival.

"Cool."

"Xion wanted me to tell everyone that she wasn't coming today." Olette said as she pulled her bag slung over her shoulder off and set it down on the gray concrete of the sidewalk.

"Really? Why?" Roxas asked, Olette's action striking him and giving him the same idea as he slipped his arms out of the straps of his backpack and push it carelessly onto the ground, not caring about it's contents in the slightest as he reclined into the bench.

"I'm not sure, she just said she had something to do after school and that she couldn't make it."

"Maybe when we get there she'll make a surprise entrance and proclaim her love to Roxas." Pence joked, obviously hinting towards a very similar scenario from the past, making Olette's face turn red as she crossed her arms at her chest. Roxas felt a mixture of both humor and embarassment.

"That's not funny, Pence." She said.

"I was just kidding!" Pence replied in his defense. "I wasn't trying to make fun of you Olette, honest." Roxas sat upon the bench idily as he listened to Pence try to apologize to Olette for his joke, his eyes occasionally glancing beside him to Axel, who was still there on the bench with him, though his direct attention was on the iTouch in his hands as he browsed around the Library, picking random songs that sounded like they would be appealing based on their titles. He didn't even know much about music either, what use was it to him until now? Roxas' music was a mixture of many different types of music, but rock and country were the most prominent of them all.

"So what are you guys gonna do for Spring Break?" Roxas asked the two before him casually, trying to get them to stop arguing and make things even more awkward for him.

"I'm going to New York with Kairi." Olette answered first, giving the blonde a small smile, thankful for a subject change. "We asked Xion if she wanted to come, but she said she didn't know yet, so she might be going with us." Roxas half expected Axel to chime in with something like 'good riddance,' but the Preta was still too distracted to notice the conversation.

"I have to start looking for a summer job." Pence said as he scratched the back of his head and sighed. "It'll be harder to find one if I wait until school's out. How about you, Roxas?"

"Me and my brother are going back home to visit Uncle Cid." Roxas replied with a sincere smile.

"Back in Georgia?"

"M'hm."

"That sounds great, Roxas. I bet it's gonna be nice to go back to your hometown for a little while." Olette mused.

"He'll come back with that same rugged Southern accent he had when he first got here." Pence chuckled. Roxas' smile immediately faded as he gave his friends a fake frown. When Roxas had first arrived here, he had the typical Southern boy drawl that at times drew a crowd. Through the school year, it became less noticeable, but anyone could still tell he was Southern by the way he talked nonetheless.

"My uncle did say he was gonna 'whip the Yankee' out of me when I got there on the phone." Roxas inquired with a laugh, making the other two laugh along with him. The sound of their laughter broke through the music and caught Axel's attention at last, making him look up from the small screen and look at Olette and Pence before looking to his left at Roxas with a questioning brow, but the blonde's head turned away from Axel as a loud, giggling voice that belonged to Kairi slipped through the headphones with ease, and Axel took that as his cue to leave.

"See you later." Axel bidded his farewell to him with a wave of his fingers as Roxas rose to his feet. Roxas turned his head over his shoulder and gave Axel a smile and a nod, unable to say much of anything now that the rest of his friends had arrived. With that, the Preta vanished before his eyes through a portal, along with his precious iTouch.

_If he breaks my iPod, I swear I'll kill him, _Roxas thought to himself as he bent down to pick up his heavy and neglected backpack off of the ground.

* * *

Axel was in no hurry to get to the clock tower now that he had Roxas' iTouch to entertain him until the tower's five o' clock chime. Thursday afternoons were always boring for the Preta since he always let Roxas have his alone time with his friends to help strengthen his bonds with them, so he would be alone for several hours with nothing to do. Especially today, it was more unbearable than usual, seeing as he and Roxas only made up the night before after a four day hiatus, and all Axel really wanted to do was to smother the blonde or trap him inside the bean bag couch with him all day and make up for lost time, not to mention he was extremely hungry. The iPod was making it a little easier to twiddle his thumbs and ignore his hunger pangs for a few hours while he waited to finally have Roxas all to himself again.

He had portaled himself about two blocks away from the tower so he could finish a song he had been in the midst of listening to, something called Sunshine In A Bag by Gorillaz. He had listened to music on the radio often when he was back in Germany, but never had he had access to something that actually let him walk around with music. The huge sixty year time gap between then and now left him absolutely clueless to most modern day music genres, minus whatever he heard while tormenting whomever his prey was at the time (he had only known about Untouched because his last meal was some 16 year old redhead freshman in high school that listened to it religiously,) so he was trying to adjust. He could tell why Roxas wasn't a big fan of hip-hop, even Axel could hardly understand what they were saying most of the time.

Axel's shoulders suddenly bristled as he sensed a feeling of dread hanging in the air around him. It wasn't as foreboding as anything he had felt from anyone in the Organization, but it was still enough to heighten the Preta's senses. He immediately yanked the blue chord of the headphones, the earbuds falling out of his ears and quickly wrapped it back around the iTouch, stuffing the device into his empty pocket to ensure it's safety.

_So who is it now, _Axel thought to himself with an internal irritated groan. _I can deal with Saix, but I swear if it's Larxene again, I'm going to make sure I kill her this time._ He tried to filter out the regular noises from the city's hustle and bustle to hear for anything suspicious as he broke off from the sidewalk into a nearby alley way, looking up, down, everywhere, for the source of the disturbance. The redhead maneuvered his way through the garbage and abandoned furniture as he traveled deeper into the alley, the gloomy atmosphere becoming stronger. Eventually, he reached a dead end, his search having been unsucessful. Axel gritted his teeth as he turned back around to search elsewhere, but he didn't have to go very far.

"Axel." A familiar voice belonging to a certian black-haired teen that was supposed to be at the pharmacy with Roxas addressed him in such a stern tone of voice that it seemed like it wasn't really Xion speaking.

"Now now, I think you're a little to young to be luring men into an alley to have your way with them." Axel sneered coyly as he crossed his arms at his chest. Xion's expression didn't falter at his joke at all, her blue eyes giving him an empty stare, her lips drawn into a thin line, her arms rigid at her sides with little slender fingers curled into fists. The demon's sneer slowly faded as it became clear that he wasn't going to get the usual rise out of her. "You mind telling me what you want from me instead of standing there like the girl from The Ring?"

"This has to stop now." Xion said flatly, her eyes narrowing at him.

"What ever do you mean, Xion?"

"Your charade with Roxas. You've gone way too far with this, and I can't let you dawdle around your responsibilities and duties as a Preta to be around him any longer."

"Ooh, she's using big words now. I must be in trouble." Axel gasped in mock surprise as he brought a hand to his lips. Xion clenched her teeth and stomped her foot in frustration.

"Stop mocking me! You don't understand the gravity of the situation now, Axel. Things have changed, and you need to get away from Roxas as soon as you can before you drag him down with you in the mess that's about to happen."

"The only mess I plan on ever dragging Roxas into is the bedsheets, my dear."

"You are the most selfish person I've ever met in my entire lifetime." Xion hissed, absolutely appalled at the Preta's indifference. "You are willing to risk your own life and redemption to be in a forbidden relationship with a human?"

"Looks that way to me." Axel deadpanned, his brows scrunching together. "I'm sick of making promises I know I can't keep. I swore that I was going to protect Roxas from all of this bullshit, and I don't indend to stop any time soon." Xion would never understand. Sure, being with Roxas had it's complications and technicalities, but Axel was tired of being lonely in this world. Roxas was someone that, at times, made him feel human again. Their friendship had become invaluable to Axel, and he wasn't about to give it up for anyone.

"You do realize that your soul isn't the only one that's in danger because of this, right?" Xion questioned in a posionous tone.

"What are you talking about?"

"It's not just you that will perish once the hammer comes down, Axel." Xion warned him ominously, her fists clenching tighter as she delivered the message that she had been ordered to give to the unruly Preta. "Roxas' soul will suffer as well because he has mingled with forces that he isn't supposed to know about for too long. Soon, no amount of good karma will be able to save him from a fate similar to that of your own, if not worse." Xion paused, waiting to hear Axel's objection, but she was only met with a blank stare. "Because of you, Roxas will most likely become a Preta upon his death because you," She pointed at Axel accusingly with a single tiny index finger. "couldn't let go of the past and let your desire for closure get the best of you."

"Closure?" Axel spat dangerously. "You really think this is what all of this is about?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why blonde is your favorite flavor? You were drawn to him because he looks just like the Nazi officer's son that showed you compassion in your darkest hour. The only reason you are so compelled to be with Roxa is because you want to cleanse yourself of the regret you carry for destroying that boy's life." Axel was so consumed in anger that he couldn't speak. His hands were shaking, his heart racing, nostrils flared, fire thrashing about his palms dangerously, slowly losing his grip on his sanity as another dangerous instinct began to rear it's ugly head, seducing the demon with the images of tearing Xion limb from limb and other gruesome ideas. Now it was Xion's turn to be amused with the rise she had gotten out of him as a small smile cracked upon her previously expressionless lips. She had delivered the message, and now it was time for her to have fun with the hand she had been given, anything to get Axel to get him away from Roxas. "You know, Axel...they say that history tends to repeat itself. I don't know about you, but I think this is just too much of a coincidence. A blonde haired boy that looks exactly like another that you crossed paths with during your previous lifetime, befriending him, putting your trust into him... I think you know how it's going to end, don't you?"

"That's it." Axel hissed menacingly as he threaded his bare fingers that were unphasied by the surrounding flames through the handles of his blazing chakrams, his being consumed in a feral rage. "I've had it with your high and mighty attitude. I'm sick of being looked down on because of who I am and talked to like a piece of shit." Xion's eyes widened in fear at the sight before her, Axel's deadly reaction not being the one she was anticipating at all. She knew now that what she had said was a terrible mistake. Axel thin lips contorted into a sickening grin as he spun the chakrams in his palms, a terrifying thrill pumping through his veins at the thought of silencing Xion for good. "You must not have heard me the first time. I'm not sorry for what happened to that kid back then, and I never will be. They took Aerith away from me, so I had to return the favor. It's a shame that you don't know when to keep your mouth shut."

To Xion, it all happened in slow motion. The adrenaline coarsing through her screamed at her to make a run for it, but she knew she couldn't possibly outrun a Preta if she tried. She had not been created for fighting in mind, so she had no means to defend herself. After spending all of her time researching into Axel's personality, she had always been under the assumption that Axel was too submerged in the guilt from his past life's treachery to consider taking another life. That wasn't the case here; Axel lunged forward with sole intention of killing her right where she stood. But why? What was driving him to think that it was perfectly fine in every way to kill her? This wasn't in Axel's nature at all, and it certianly wasn't in an average Preta's character to seem so...content to kill.

_'His eyes, Xion. Look at his eyes, I must see them.'_

A silent, instinctive command from her creator forced her horrified gaze to look into Axel's blazing green eyes, emerald daggars narrowed at her, indulging in the last look upon her face before he delivered the final blow. Xion searched them, invisible fingers groping for something to latch on to, any sort of clue that would give her the answer that both she and Namine were seeking to Axel's sudden behavior. As the gleaming silver of the metal chakram glistened as it slashed through her chest, she could hear Namine's gasp of realization that she had yet to comprehend. She looked up at the instrument of her death that was now held above her head, her knees suddenly growing weak. What had she missed? Was there a detail that she had overlooked? Or, could she truly not come to understand him through words typed onto paper?

Axel was overcome with confusion as he sucessfully delivered his attack. As the pointed, dagger like edges of his weapon scraped across Xion's chest, the gut-wrenching sound of sliced, splitting skin didn't fill his ears. Instead, he heard the sound of something that could only be described as nails dragging along a chalkboard. No blood was drawn, no gaping wounds could be seen. It wasn't until moments later after emerald met sapphire eyes that he heard the screech of shattering porcelian.

A crack had formed upon the girl's chest, crackling and splitting as it grew wider, wider, until her chest shattered completely, shards of clay falling to the dirty asphalt beneath their feet as Axel peered into the gaping ragged hole that had formed in Xion's chest, starting from below her collarbone to under where her breasts would have been. Axel saw no internal organs, no lungs, no liver, no heart. Xion's body was completely hollow on the inside. He had no doubt in his mind that Xion truly was not from this world, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

"...What are you?" Axel asked as he brought his arms back to his sides, his blinding red anger beginning to fade, overshadowed by his shock of what he had just discovered. Somehow, Xion was still standing. If she had no internal life force, then what was it that kept her alive? Xion stood with her mouth agape, aware of the huge hole in her chest, her mind reeling as she tried to settle her mile-a-minute thoughts. She could feel her body begin to tremble as vein-like cracks that were left over as a result to the attack were beginning to split, to grow, traveling down her stomach and up her shoulders, threatening to shatter and end her life. She didn't have much time left.

"I'm a servant to a higher authority in Heaven." Xion replied in almost a whisper, her voice trembling with the fear of death. "I was sent here to watch you, to save you from yourself, and to ensure Roxas' safety. You have a kind heart, no amount of bad karma could ever change that." Xion could feel a crack drifting up her throat. "But you have to realize that sometimes you can't protect everyone you care about. I'm begging you, please, you must stay away from Roxas."

"I can't just stay away from him." Axel replied solemnly with a frown. "It isn't my decision. You know that. I'm tethered to him until he make the decision to give me his hair. And I'm not about to pressure him into doing that for me."

"You have twelve days." The crack that was rising up her throat reached the left corner of her mouth, the sound of screeching and crackling clay growing louder as it traveled up the bridge of her nose.

"Twelve days for what?" Axel clutched his chakrams tighter in the event that something else was about to happen.

"Until Xemnas comes for you. You must convince Roxas, if nothing else, to give you his hair before that happens. If you don't, I can garuntee you that Xemnas will use him to force you into submission."

"No one will ever force me to do anything anymore. I appreciate the warning, but I'm pretty sure I can take him on myself." Xion hung her head, defeated by the Preta's arrogance, a loud crunching sound being heard as her neck shifted with the movement, creating more cracks as shards of brown clay in an array of different sizes began to fall to the asphalt as Xion began to desintegrate. There was nothing she could say that would change his mind. She knew he wouldn't believe her. Xemnas was a force much too strong for Axel to match. But if he insisted on staying by Roxas' side, then she had no choice but allow fate to run it's course.

"I only hope your restless soul will find peace." The color in her hair and skin began to turn into an ugly pasty brown, the life in her deep blue eyes fading with the color's transition, and soon the girl was reduced to a pile of jagged brown clay pieces. Axel stood before the mess in a daze, still trying to process what had just happened. Xion was...made out of clay? What kind of spiritual being is that? His curiousity peaked as the shattered pieces began to shift, each individual brown shard beginning to mold and transform into many different shapes, the brown pigment suddenly exploding into a kaleidoscope of thousands of different colors. Axel hardly had any time to react before he felt a sudden rush of wind blowing upon his face. Startled, Axel took a few steps back, sheilding his face with an arm and chakram until the wind ceased, to which he quickly looked up to see a massive flurry of adonis blue butterflies soaring overhead, gracefully gliding up towards the clear sky above in a cloud of soft blue until the sky blue color of their petite little wings blended harmoniously with the cloudless sky above and dissapeared out of sight.

When Axel looked back down at the ground, he realized that Xion's remains had vanished. He stared at that cold, dark piece of ground for a long while, his indifferent disposition slowly morphing into anger. He scowled as he swiftly turned to the side and kicked a nearby trashcan, overturning the metal object to crash onto the pavement below, startling the few rats that had been dwelling within and sent them scurrying for sanctuary.

_What does all of this mean_, Axel growled within, thoughtlessly hurling his chakrams onto the ground with another screeching crash, the weapons dissolving into smoke shortly afterwards. _What have I done to deserve any of this? I just want to live my life, for once, without being chased down like some kind of criminal. Is there no end to it? _He allowed his thin body to take a few steps backwards into the wall behind him, holding his head in his hands as he tried to calm the fury that was blazing within him, all feelings of stress and anxiety coming undone to provide as kindling to the flames. He felt cornered - trapped - stripped of personal space and privacy, the facts being all too much for him to take in at once. So long as he was alive, Axel was never going to be able to run away from his past. He could shut out his burdens, his guilt, for thousands of years, but it would never change the fact that he had been beaten, starved, forced into slave labor, and witnessed horrible crimes of human genocide. Axel couldn't run away from it, no matter how hard he tried.

Now he was being hunted again, and Axel didn't even know why. So what if he had said something to Xemnas in the World In Between? Was that enough to cause so much chaos? Axel could feel his spirit beginning to buckle, his world was collapsing around him, and he honestly had no idea of what to do. There was no doubt he was going to try to take Xemnas on, but what would happen to him if he lost? What would happen to Roxas?

_Roxas... _Axel's chest tightened at the thought of the teenaged blonde that he had come to know as his best friend. Roxas was everything that he wasn't, he didn't deserve to be sentenced to be a Preta at death. Why did it all have to come down to this? How could Axel have known that just sticking around his prey a little longer than he usually did would make things so ugly for him? He took in a sharp intake of breath, exhaling slowly as he came to a conclusion; Axel wasn't going to destroy another person's life because of his selfishness. Roxas didn't deserve it, and the Preta owed him that much for showing him the kindness and friendship that he had been missing for the sixty years of his short life.

Axel waited for a while in the alley, allowing his temper and unsettled thoughts to cool down. He didn't know how long he had been there standing up against the wall until he heard the five o' clock chime of the clock tower ring in his ears, coaxing him out of his vegitated state. At this point, going to the tower was pretty much out of the question. He lifted himself up off of the wall with a grunt, taking another deep breath as he smoothed out his hair absently.

_So I've got twelve days, huh? _Axel began to walk forward, manuvering through the filth and trash along the way. The corner of his lip twitched into a halfhearted smile for a breif moment. _Looks like I'll have to make them count. No one said I couldn't enjoy myself. _Axel had no idea what was going to happen when his twelve days were over, but if they turned out to be his last, he didn't want to let them go to waste. As for what he was going to do about it when the time came, he had twelve days to think about it.

As he made it to the alley's entrance, he heard a faint, muffled noise coming from his pocket that had previously been unnoticed due to all the blood rushing to his ears from his angry fit. He reached into his pocket, fingers coiling around a flat object, and that's when he remembered that he still had Roxas' iTouch. Axel quickly withdrew the electronic device from his pocket, one of his gloves falling to the ground as well. As he bent down to pick up the black fabric up off of the ground, he could hear music still playing in the earbuds as one of the chords brushed past his earlobe in the movement.

_I must not have paused it earlier, _Axel concluded, stuffing the glove back into his pocket and went to tend to the problem right then, but the screen suddenly flashed '10% battery remaining,' and Axel had no idea what that meant. There wasn't any sort of compartment for batteries on the iTouch as far as he could see. When he pressed the home button, the screen went black, and the soft muffling of music coming from the headphones stopped abruptly. He pressed it again. And again. And again. Nothing happened. _...Shit._

* * *

Roxas was not pleased. As he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror, 'do not want' written as plain as day on his face as he looked at the outfit he was currently wearing, he silently wondered if he was just a glutton for embarassment or if he had broken a mirror somehow in the past seven years and didn't know about it. All he was certian of what that he had a massive wedgie that no form of picketry or adjusting would ever be able to cure.

The conversation had started out harmlessly at the pharmacy, when Hayner started to talk about the spring season's first track practice that was going to take place after Spring Break. The wavy-haired blonde began to boast his supposedly brilliant track record, his head just getting a teensy bit bigger from his already influctuated ego. Arrogance had always been on the top of Roxas' 'Things That Annoy Me' list and had definately become a staple thanks to Axel, so he decided to challenge Hayner's authority to knock him down a few pegs. Then, like all boys do, they ended up arguing about who would be the best at track, and made a competition out of it. When they left the pharmacy for the evening, Roxas walked with Hayner to his house which was about three blocks away from his own, and Hayner presented him with one of his spare track uniforms to use at the first practice and a sleasy smile as the blonde made his way back home. What Roxas thought was a gesture of kindness was now a spiteful attempt to make him reconsider the challenge. He definately wouldn't put it past Hayner to be extremely competitive.

The uniform was pretty...snug, ulike Roxas' old soccer jersey from his old school, where he had participated in the school's soccer team his freshman and sophmore year. He was used to a polyester hole-cloth jersey and loose shorts made of the same fabric. In track, the apparel was completely different. Instead of a comfortable free hanging jersey, the white and blue athletic shirt clung to his boyish form like a second set of skin, the sleeveless-ness of it all exposing his stark white shoulders that transitioned into a sleek tan somewhere along his upper arm and just below his neck, making him look like a color-dipped Easter egg. If that wasn't ridiculous enough, the blue cotton shorts made him feel like a girl in daisy dukes, contorting his underwear in such a way that he had a permanent wedgie shoved in his ass cheeks. He didn't care if it was all for aerodynamics, Roxas was not happy. At all.

This alone was enough to make him not want to follow through with the game he and Hayner had started, but his pride wouldn't allow him to do such a thing. He looked back up at the mirror and chewed on his lip thoughtfully. Hayner would never let him live it down if he backed out because of his self conciousness. Though, the idea even considering being playfully teased by Hayner only went to prove just how much closer he has become to his friends in the past few weeks, and he had Axel to thank for that, no doubt. The Preta's advice had helped him in many ways, and at this current point in time, Roxas couldn't be happier, but he knew in the back of his mind that Axel's stay with him was no absolute garuntee. Roxas knew that he couldn't hold out on Axel forever. But he tried not to think about it too much, because the thought of losing a friend, supernatural or not, that changed his life for the better was a heavy one. Everything would turn out okay somehow, right?

_Speaking of Axel... I should probably change before he gets back,_ Roxas thought as he rolled his eyes, leaving the bathroom to make his way back to his bedroom. _If he saw me like this...ugh, I don't want to think about it. _Roxas quickly quickened his pace into his bedroom to hurry and change, the shorts being the very first thing to go, indefinately. As the blue fabric dropped to his ankles, he went to relieve himself of the torturous wedgie, shamelessly sighing in releif. This must be how his dogs felt whenever he scratched their stomachs, because all seemed right with the world once his ass was comfortably free.

"Um...?" Roxas swore his head almost hit the ceiling from jumping so high in surprise at the sound of Axel's voice. It must have been some kind of sight, because the Preta's unsure grunt was immediately followed by laughter. Roxas was speechless, his face as red as Axel's crimson colored hair, the embarassment he felt rendering his voice useless as he shot the demon standing at the doorway with his arms crossed and propped up against the door frame an icy glare over his shoulder. "I hope you were thinking about me?"

"What...?" Roxas' brows furrowed, not completely understanding Axel's statement. It wasn't until a lecherous grin curled upon the demon's lips that Roxas fully understood what he meant, and if Axel had been standing any closer, he would have slapped him in the face. The blonde stuttered incoherantly, trying to find the right words to express his anger, embarassment, and bashfulness all at once, but it all proved to be unsucessful, so he settled for crossing his arms at his chest tightly and giving Axel the cold shoulder.

"Aw, don't be like that, I was just kidding." _Sort of. _Axel approached the upset teen and curled his long arms around his waist and nestling his chin on the top of his head, giving him a pleading look that Roxas refused to meet.

"I was not doing that at all. You're such a dick." Roxas grumbled as he turned his head away, but Axel met his defiance by nuzzling his face into his golden locks.

"You call me so many mean things, you know that? It hurts my feelings."

"That reminds me, you never call me Roxy anymore." Roxas suddenly stated, on the topic of calling one another different things. It was true, once they had sorted out their differences and came to a friendly truce after they met, the use of that annoying nickname that Axel used to call him slowly dwindled down until it ceased to exist. Axel stopped his nuzzling and looked down at the teen through the spikes of blonde hair blocking part of his vision.

"I don't, do I? Hm. Didn't really cross my mind until now. Why? Do you want me to call you Rrrrroxy?" Axel rolled his R's in that same way he had done at their first encounter at the pharmacy, but this time it sounded extremely sexy, as if he was sensually purring the letter. Roxas was thankful that the Preta couldn't see his rosy cheeks, his stomach twisting in knots at the sound of it. Did he sound like that before? Maybe Roxas didn't notice it the first time, but he definately noticed it now.

"I guess it doesn't really matter." _Say it as much as you want as long as you purr like that again._

"Okay, fine. My turn to ask a question. Do you mind telling me why you are looking extra delicious this afternoon?"

"Are you talking about my hair or my clothes?"

"Please, your hair's delicious all the time, duh." Axel drawled matter-of-factly. "I'm talking about this really thin shirt that's showing off your farmer's tan."

"It's not funny." Roxas frowned again and tried to pull away from Axel's embrace, but the Preta quickly enveloped him back into his arms.

"I didn't say it was. It's cute, and I like it." Axel grinned as he squeezed Roxas a little tighter.

"Why do I get the feeling you're being an ass-kisser?"

"Because I want to kiss yours?" Roxas could hear the hopeful enthusiasm in his voice, but he wasn't falling for it for a second. He immediately looked over his shoulder and gave him an unamused glare.

"Where's my iPod?" Roxas asked bluntly.

"I think I'd rather talk about the butt kissing." Axel replied innocently.

"Where's my iPod." Roxas repeated, his question sounding more like a statement. Axel bit on the corner of his lip thoughtfully.

"What iPod?" Axel dared to ask, but he immediately regretted doing so.

"What did you do to it." Again, another statement/question. Axel sighed in defeat, and Roxas immediately expected the worst. "I told you not to break it, Axel!"

"I don't even know what happened!" Axel exclaimed in his defense, releasing the blonde as his- gloved hands, Roxas noticed- withdrew the supposedly broken device out of his pocket and handed it over. "I put it in my pocket for a few minutes, I pull it out and it said something about batteries, and then it all went black. I didn't do anything, I swear."

"Batteries?" Roxas looked down at his iTouch and pulled out the headphone chord, taking it over to his iPod charger in one of the outlets next to his bedside table. After plugging the iTouch in, the blonde heaved a relieved sigh. "You didn't break it, it just ran out of battery."

"I didn't even see a place to put batteries." Axel huffed.

"No, it has a battery inside, but you just charge it like this." He held up the plugged in iTouch for the confused Preta to see. Understanding slowly spread across his face.

"So...I'm not in trouble?" Axel asked with a slightly hopeful tone.

"No." Roxas replied as he got back to his feet, and again felt two long arms snake around his waist.

"Good." Axel chuckled. "But...I can still kiss your ass if you'd like."

"Ugh, get off of me you pervert." Roxas groaned and tried to push Axel away once again, but Axel only turned him around so that the blonde was facing him and planted a big kiss on his lips. It wasn't anything sloppy, just a long, sweet kiss on the lips that made Roxas' eyes flutter. He felt Axel grin beneath it, and tilted his head just a little more to deepen the kiss, and Roxas reflexively did the same, the warmth from Axel's lips on his filling the blonde's senses and allowed the tension in his shoulders to become relaxed. He hadn't been expecting such a gentle kiss like this, but he definately wasn't complaining. As Axel pulled away, Roxas was about to forgive him before he caught that devious glint in the Preta's bright green eyes through the hood of his own half lidded eyes that were still caught in the sweetness of the previous kiss and immediately brought his hands to the sides of his neck before Axel could reach the exposed flesh, eyes wide as he snapped out of his little daze. "Nuh uh, no way, not tonight. We're leaving early tomorrow to go back to Georgia, and my uncle will kill me if he sees a hickey on my neck."

"Georgia?" Axel asked dumbly, his small red brows furrowing. "Wait, since when? For how long?"

"I was talking about it earlier with Pence and Olette while we were on the bench. You probably didn't hear me, you were listening to my iTouch then."

"How long?" Axel's tone got a little stern as he asked the question again.

"Um...tomorrow's Friday, we'll be home by next Friday..a week? Eight days?" Axel didn't seem to look too happy about it at first, but before Roxas could say anything, Axel smiled again.

"A vacation sounds nice." Axel mused with a small thoughtful smile.

"Who said you were going?" Roxas asked teasingly with a perked brow. "What if I want you to stay here?"

"I can't. You know this." Axel rolled his eyes a little before his small smile became smug as he looked down at Roxas. "Besides..." The fingers on Axel's right hand walked up Roxas' side, making him flinch slightly from the ticklish sensation, up his neck, then curled under his chin as he looked over the blonde carefully before leaning down to whisper in his ear. "You're gonna need _somebody_ to thoroughly check you for ticks, right Roxy?"

And cue the classical, cute Roxas blush, immediately followed by a huffing pout and theatrical stomp out of the room. Axel couldn't help but grin victoriously.

He was going to miss being able to do that.

* * *

_**Random quiz question: To the readers who have read this and my Playhouse series, what was one little detail that the Playhouse Roxas and SHBF Roxas had in common in a previous chapter? Hint: Clothing. Just to see who's paying attention~ ;3**_

_**Hopefully updates won't take this long, but I'm still recovering from the surgery. And they'll be their normal length.**_


	20. Leavin' on a Jet Plane

_**A/N: New laptop! FINALLY! Now I won't suck at spelling anymore XD Would have had this up yesterday, but it was my 19th birthday yesterday, so I was out having fun.**_

_**Someone asked me this question, and I feel that I should address it before I continue with the chapter. I was asked where Roxas was currently living, since it's mentioned that he is from Georgia. I will tell you the honest truth; I thought I included the actual location in the first chapter, but it turns out I didn't.* sweatdrop* I had added it in after I uploaded the first chapter, but for some reason, it didn't save. So to clarify, Roxas is currently residing in Pennsylvania. I was also in conflict about whether I wanted this particular universe to be heavily KH themed or modern, but it seems to have turned out modern. So yeah, you can hate me if you want, but I ultimately blame FF. *glares at***_

_**Anyway, enjoy!**_

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***Week 6, Day 37, Friday***

***Eleven Days Remaining***

To Axel's surprise, it wasn't much of a chore to wake Roxas up the next morning. Granted, it may have been because Roxas was excited to be going back to Georgia for Spring Break, but the Preta noticed a significant difference when he awoke the teen at five in the morning to get ready to get to the airport. The flight wasn't until eight thirty, but it was an hour and a half drive to get to the airport, not to mention all of the waiting through the security lines and other air travel hassles.

Roxas woke up right away, completely dismissing his usual alarm ritual and went about his normal morning routine, such as showering and getting dressed, among other things. Axel busied himself with toying around with Roxas' iTouch while he waited, engaging himself in an application that would supposedly let the Preta know if he could survive on a desert island; it would be great to know if he was actually human, but that was beside the point. Axel expected Roxas to snap at him about fiddling with his iTouch once he came back into the bedroom fully dressed and bathed, but he got no such reaction. This was very unlike the normal 'morning Roxas monster.'

"You okay?" Axel asked as Roxas fell face first into the plushness of his still unmade bed, arms stretched out at his sides. He only received a muffled grunt in response as Roxas bundled up the comforter in his arms and bunched it together to serve as a pillow that he laid his damp head upon and proceeded to fall into a light slumber. Axel chuckled to himself at the sight. _Looks to me like he was on autopilot._

Instead of waking him back up again, Axel put the iTouch down and made sure that Roxas had everything packed in the single large green duffle bag that was sitting by the bedroom door that they had put together the night before. Of course, all of it was Roxas', because the Preta didn't have anything to pack. All he needed was tucked away in his pocket. Once he finished with that, he resigned himself back to the iTouch until he heard Sora up and about fifteen minutes later.

"Roxas, time to get up." Axel shook the blonde beside him gently, but it didn't have any effect. Rolling his eyes, the demon shuffled off of the bed and stood over him, leaning over and unleashing his tickling fingertips upon Roxas' unsuspecting sides.

"Gwaaa-ahh!" Roxas exclaimed as he was so rudely awakened, his flailing feet barely missing Axel's crotch as he squirmed violently under the tickling, the redhead grinning deviously through the struggle. "I'm awake, I'm awake, stop it!"

"Roxas?" Axel's fingers stopped suddenly at the sound of Sora's voice, and the pair looked up to see the brunette standing at the doorway and giving Roxas a peculiar look of confusion. Axel snickered as Roxas quickly shifted to sit up on his bed, completely embarrassed.

"...What?" Roxas answered grumpily, unsure of how to explain his tickling scenario to Sora, so he tried to play it off as if it had never really happened.

"It's great and wonderful to know you're awake and all," Sora yawned as he brought a hand to his eye and rubbed it sleepily. "But I'd really appreciate not getting chewed out by Mom this early because _you _decided to let the entire neighborhood know you're awake."

"Just shut up and go get ready." Roxas snapped back, thankful that the room was dark enough to conceal his obvious red face from both Sora and Axel. He did not want to be attacked with ridicule from two different fronts this early in the morning. As Sora left the doorway to disappear into the depths of the hallway outside the bedroom, Roxas shot Axel an angry glare.

"There's the grumpy morning Roxas." Axel mused, still standing before the blonde with his hands on his prominent hips.

"That wasn't funny." Roxas pushed Axel by his stomach, making him stumble back a step or two.

"But I did it out of love."

"Yeah, 'out of love' my ass."

"As a matter of fact, I do like your ass." The Preta rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Yes yes, it's very nice."

"It's way too early for this." Roxas groaned as he held his face in his hands. He heard the sound of Axel's coat shuffling as he took the few steps back to stand in front of the blonde again.

"Hey," Roxas heard Axel say in a softer tone above him, making him bring his hands away from his face and look up at the redhead with a frown. Axel smiled and leaned down to kiss Roxas' forehead gently, placing his hands on his shoulders. "Don't be mad. I had to get you up somehow."

"Yeah...well..." Roxas tried to still sound angry, but any glimmer of anger that he might have had towards Axel about the tickling ordeal had been blown out like a candle flame when Axel kissed his forehead. Axel's smile widened as he leaned in a little closer to seal Roxas' lips with his own, preventing the teen from continuing with his stammered statement. It almost seemed like Axel's increased body warmth sprang onto Roxas through the kiss, giving him goose bumps as his already tired eyes slid to a close, having forgotten what he was going to say anyway, feeling as though he could comfortably fall asleep again against Axel. When Axel pulled away, Roxas had to fight the warm and fuzzy feeling as he opened his eyes to look up into Axel's brightly colored jade eyes that he had become so accustomed to looking into every night before he went to sleep.

"Better?" Axel asked softly. Roxas only nodded slowly with a small smile. "Good. Now come on, you can sleep in the car on the way to the airport. We've got a plane to catch."

After Axel was finally able to coax Roxas out of bed, Roxas finished gathering up a few last minute items before trudging down the stairs to where Sora and their father, Cloud, were already waiting for him. Not very much was shared between the three of them as they started to load up the family's silver 2005 Toyota Avalon, but that was mostly due to the fact that they were all still tired at five thirty in the morning and their father was a man of few words to begin with. And then, of course, just as they were about to get in and get ready to leave, Sora was suddenly smacked by the tinkle fairy and needed to pee.

"I asked you if you needed to go when we were in the house." Cloud grumbled angrily, mostly out of fatigue, and Roxas had a vague idea of where his own early morning nastiness came from.

"I didn't need to go then, though, I need to go _now_!" Sora whined as he bounced on one foot to the other. Cloud glared at him for about three seconds before dismissing his youngest son with a scoff.

"You've got three minutes. If you're not done, I'm leaving without you and you can sit your sorry ass here for Spring Break."

"I call shotgun!" Sora called over his shoulder as he bolted for the front steps. Roxas heard his father let out an irritated groan. Roxas was pretty nasty in the mornings, but he was just a little kitten compared to his father's morning wrath. His mother (who was the only morning person in the entire household) was originally supposed to take them to the airport, but she suddenly remembered that she had a dentist's appointment at eight o'clock, and couldn't take them. Roxas didn't trust himself to drive his own car this early in the morning, either. That left Cloud, and he honestly looked like he was ready to punch one of them in the face when they were packing up the car.

"Don't slam the-" Cloud tried to call after him, but he was promptly cut off by the sound of the heavy oak front door slamming shut with tremors big enough to easily wake the tri-state area. "...fucking door." Cloud hissed bitterly afterwards, and Roxas took that as his cue to get in the car as quickly as possible to escape the angry wrath of a sleep deprived Cloud. Loved him to death, but Roxas knew better than to be caught on his bad side.

As Roxas slid across the light gray leather interior of the back seat, he started to wonder where Axel had disappeared to as he shut the door behind him. Maybe he was already waiting at the airport? It was very possible, since he could portal to certain distances, though Roxas had never bothered to ask just how far Axel could actually travel that way. Making a mental note to ask the Preta about it later, Roxas continued to slide down the length of the backseat to stretch out and take another snooze on the way to the airport. He honestly shouldn't have been as surprised as he was when he felt his arm make contact with another warm body, but he jumped, startled nonetheless.

"Warn me next time you just pop up out of nowhere like that." Roxas said as he instinctively slid back into the left-hand seat beside the car door that he had entered in, Axel having made himself quite comfortable in the right-hand seat, sitting at an angle so his long legs were propped up on the console in the front that separated the driver seat and passenger seat. Roxas must have woken him up or stirred him from a light snooze, because the Preta wasn't responding immediately due to his mouth currently yawning.

"I didn't pop up out of nowhere." Axel replied sluggishly after the yawning had passed. "I came here just as you left your room. You know I don't like going downstairs."

"I was just thinking about asking you this when I got in the car. You say you can portal short distances. How short are we talking about here?"

"Are you asking because you thought I was already at the airport?" _Damn... he's good._

"Well...yeah."

"I could've gone to the airport if I wanted to." Axel shrugged mildly. "The farthest I could portal in terms of mileage would be about... one hundred miles?"

"One hundred?" Roxas' brow perked in disbelief. "You call that a short distance?"

"It's not like I can wake up one morning and say to myself 'You know what, I feel like going to China today' and click my heels together." Axel chuckled softly. "One hundred may seem like a lot on a small scale, but not in terms of worldly lengths."

"I guess that makes sense then..." Roxas shuffled around in his seat to get a little more comfortable. "So how did you get here from Germany?"

Axel didn't answer right away. The content look on his face immediately reflected the defensive.

"Who told you I came from Germany?" Axel asked, his arms now coming to fold at his chest. His tone wasn't accusing, but it was about two shades away of being one. _Shit, _Roxas cursed silently. _Demyx's the one who told me he thought Axel was German, Axel never told me straight out he was from Germany. Think, Roxas, how can you save your ass here?_

"Your last name." Roxas replied casually without missing a beat. " 'Daecher' sounded German to me. The name 'Axel' kinda sounds German too." He could feel Axel's eyes inspecting him meticulously for any sign of deception, and after a few moments, the demon accepted the response and gave another shrug with a small grunt of agreement.

"I guess so." Axel said blandly. "Never really thought about that. But yes, I'm German."

"So how did you wind up here in America?"

"I spent the first thirty years of my life wandering around in Europe." Axel was interrupted by the sound of a car door opening that was promptly followed by an annoying beeping noise, signaling that the driver's door had been opened and Cloud slipped inside, shutting the door beside him rather roughly and grumbled to himself as they waited for Sora to finish up his bathroom adventure. Axel glanced from Cloud to Roxas, and then back at Cloud with a peculiar look on his face. "That's your dad?" He asked, though he only received a brisk nod from the blonde in response. "Huh," Axel gave an amused snort with a grin. "I can see where you get your looks from."

Roxas flashed him an 'I seriously can't believe you're checking out my dad' glare through narrowed eyes, and that only made Axel laugh. He loved to press the blonde's buttons like that. Roxas let out a sharp exhale and made a motion with his hand for Axel to continue with his story.

"Right," Axel said as he brought his legs off of the console and sat up regularly in the seat due to Cloud's presence, his boots having been pressed up against the elder blonde's arm from his legs being so long. "Like I said, I spent the first half of my life in Europe. I poked around Germany and Poland for about two years before I got bored. I'd already seen everything, pretty much, since I lived my previous life there and all. So I went on down to Austria, then I stayed in Italy for a while." A nostalgic grin curled on the Preta's thin lips as he sighed dreamily. "I have to say, of all the places I've been to, Italy was my favorite. I had a pretty nice selection of hair to choose from there." Axel suddenly realized he was getting off track, and shook his head to rid himself of the thought, as tantalizingly delicious it was. "Anyway, I stayed for about fifteen years there, then I went on over to France. Wasn't a big fan, but it was something different. I only stayed there for a year, because honestly, the people there were so rude to me."

_I could imagine, I'm pretty sure most people would be if you told them you wanted to eat their hair, _Roxas wanted to say, and he would have if his father wasn't present, so he settled for rolling his eyes instead. Axel could see his response in the blonde's eyes and quickly delivered a playful slap to his thigh, making Roxas jolt and make a surprised gasping noise. To Roxas' delight, Cloud didn't stir or ask him what he was doing, he just kept on moping. Roxas could see Sora come running out the door out of the corner of his eye. As the brunette got into the car and settled into the passenger seat, Axel grew quiet as Cloud started up the car and began to pull out of the driveway. Sora attempted to turn on the radio, but his ready hand was quickly stopped when Cloud slapped his hand away.

"Don't even, it's too early for that, just try to get some sleep before we get there. You're going to need it." Cloud said sternly as he glanced over to Sora. Sora huffed and sat back in the seat, and the car fell silent again. Roxas was feeling his fatigue begin to tug at his heavy eyelids, but he wanted to hear Axel finish his story. He looked up at Axel to see why he was being so quiet, and the Preta was merely looking out the window passively. His train of thought seemed to be elsewhere, focusing on something outside the window that Roxas couldn't see. It was still dark outside, so the streetlights that would streak by as they went down the road would highlight Axel's bright red hair for a split second before disappearing back into the darkness. Roxas frowned a little; Axel only told him about the first eighteen years, and he really wanted to know about the rest of the twelve years and up until the present, if he could try to stay awake long enough. If Axel was hesitant to share anything about his human past, maybe talking about his current past as a Preta could help break the ice.

After glancing towards the front seats to be sure neither Cloud or Sora were paying any attention to him, Roxas leaned over the seat and gave Axel a gentle nudge in his arm, catching the demon's attention. Green eyes that had been occupied by other things suddenly flashed in realization as he looked back over to Roxas, looking embarrassed.

"Oh, sorry, everything got so quiet, I thought you fell asleep." Axel admitted, turning his attention away from the window. Roxas smiled, and his gaze slowly drifted downwards to Axels exposed and unoccupied lap. All of a sudden, any desire he had to listen to Axel's Preta life story was put on the back burner as he realized how inviting Axel's lap was looking right now. Reason argued with desire, and in the end, the desire to get comfortable in a nice, warm and (somewhat) familiar lap won. So without much thought, Roxas turned over in his seat and laid back down until his head rested comfortably in Axel's lap, looking up to see Axel looking back down at him with a rather surprised expression.

"And what makes you think you're entitled to my lap like that?" Axel asked with a perked brow. Roxas immediately thought Axel was going to kick him off his own lap, but after the two just stared at each other for several moments, Roxas saw Axel's accusatory frown turn into a content grin as he laid back into the seat. "You want me to finish or do you want to sleep?"

Roxas shifted around so he was laying on his back, looking right up at Axel with his legs bent a little due to his legs being a little longer than the seat would permit him to straighten them completely. With a small nod, the blonde mouthed 'Finish' as he knitted his fingers over his stomach.

"Let's see… well, after I left France, I jumped onto a ferry and headed over to the United Kingdom. It was getting harder for me to find food the farther away I traveled from Germany, mainly because I was preying on German speaking citizens. Learning a second language was never my strongest point, so I slacked off and went after people that spoke my native language. I considered going back to Germany," Axel paused on a thoughtful note, letting his right arm prop up against the car door and laid his head upon the open palm as he looked down at Roxas. "But there were too many painful memories. I knew if I went back, I would just be miserable mentally, even if my stomach was satisfied. So after bumming around the UK for six years, I finally decided that I needed a change in scenery, though I didn't really know where I wanted to go. I ended up on the Atlantic coast, so I just boarded a carrier that was used for international trade and just went for it. I didn't know what I was going to do, or where I was going to end up, but at that point, I honestly didn't care.

I hopped from boat to boat for a while, and I eventually ended up in Canada. Most of the people there spoke French, and since I had stayed in France for a year or so, I was able to pick up on a few simple phrases, but I sounded terrible." Axel laughed as his gaze drifted away from a sleepy looking Roxas to the road that sped past them at breakneck speed, the dark sky above the bright street lights and buildings beginning to transition from an inky black to a navy blue as the sun was preparing to make it's grand entrance. "Most couldn't understand what I was saying because of my heavy accent, so I finally gave in to the language barrier and attempted to learn a second language. I had learned some basic English in my previous life, and I could understand it if someone was talking to me in English, but I couldn't speak it very well.

Long story short, I started to target English-speaking people, and I eventually ended up in New Jersey, and that's where I met Demyx the first time. He was the first person- well, not person, but you get my point- that sat down and actually tried to teach me to speak English. I've spent the last half of my sixty years here in the States, wandering around the Northern states mostly. New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, D.C., back up into Connecticut, New York, you get my drift. I finally came here to Pennsylvania about three years ago, and I've been town hopping ever since." Axel leaned to the side ever so slightly so his forehead lay against the cool glass of the window, the chilled glass from the cooler temperatures outside in contact with his heated skin causing a small ring of light condensation to form. "I was actually about to head on out to the next town before you caught my eye. I remember, I was sitting on the bench across from the pharmacy, watching people walk by and trying to find some hair that caught my fancy. I'd been sitting there for a while and I was starting to get annoyed because I didn't see anything I liked. Then you walked up with your friends," a perverse grin twitched in the corner of the Preta's mouth, feeling the slightest sensation of drool threatening to trickle. "It was like Christmas." All at once, his stomach gave a particular nasty snarl as if to remind him of his whole reason for being here in the first place, making the redhead's eyes instinctively snap towards Roxas' still slightly damp blonde hair that was laying limp in his lap, and he felt his fingertips twitch at the thought of raking his fingers through it to have another taste of the delicious golden locks, but something else caught his attention that made him forget about it entirely.

Sometime during his story, Roxas had peacefully fallen asleep in his lap, his eyes closed and his soft lips parted ever so slightly as his faint breathing made a small whistling noise that Axel had to strain to hear. The Preta didn't fight the tranquil smile that forced it's way onto his face, his free hand reaching down to gently brush away several locks of blonde hair from Roxas' closed eyes, watching the teen's brow twitch in the process. The sweeping motion ceased at his temple, to which Axel let the backside of his gloved index finger drift down his face with a feather soft touch, down to his cheek, his jaw line, watching carefully and taking in each of Roxas' facial features that he had come to memorize.

His stomach was crazy for his hair, but Axel personally liked Roxas' eyes out of any other feature the teen had. They were such a deep blue color; he didn't even know eyes could be so blue. Sure, Xion's eyes had been the same color, and perhaps Sora's were too, but they weren't Roxas'. He liked the way they lit up when Roxas laughed, when they grew soft when they shared kisses and tender touches, and even when they had that hazy glaze early in the mornings. He was so fascinated by them, mainly because he had never seen anything like them before. Not very many people had looked at him the same way Roxas does, not with the same unprejudiced and understanding that he had. Even now, when they were closed, Axel still thought they were one of the prettiest things he had seen in a long time.

The more Axel thought silently about how much he liked Roxas' eyes, the more dread he felt. Something was going to happen in twelve...eleven days now, and Axel still had no idea what he was going to do. There was a good chance that he wasn't going to weasel his way out of this like he had done with other encounters with the Organization. Still, he wasn't going to go down without a fight. He'd promised Xion that he was going to protect Roxas, and he had no intention of breaking that promise.

Axel zoned out several times during the car ride, finding himself slowly dozing off, only to jolt back awake when his arm that he had his head propped up on slipped out from beneath him. He was starting to get annoyed by it until they finally arrived at the airport. As they filed out of the car, Roxas whispered a quick apology for falling asleep on him with hurt-filled eyes, but the Preta only smiled and assured him that he would tell the story again on the flight to the Atlanta airport.

Cloud walked with his two sons and an invisible Preta demon to the airport ticket counter to make sure that the flight arrangements were in place. Sora and Roxas were still partially stuck in Dreamland, the brunette's mouth constantly yawning while the blonde was casually slumped against Axel's side to keep him balanced while he 'rested his eyes.' Axel was a little overwhelmed to pay much attention, being completely taken aback by how much hustle and bustle was going on so early in the morning. By now, it was almost eight o'clock, but the airport was jam packed with people of many different walks of life, ranging from tourists to business people. The Preta had also never been to an airport before, mostly because he was extremely wary when it came to aircraft. Though Axel was only thirteen when a World War II Bombing aircraft destroyed his family's apartment and took the lives of his parents and grandfather, the fear that had been instilled in him by his parents of airplanes was still very prominent on his mind. Of course, he knew that the sleek, large jet liner that they would be riding on was not only weapon free, but much safer thanks to major advances in aerial technology, but he still couldn't shake the anxiousness of the situation entirely. He did his best to make sure Roxas didn't catch wind of it, but it's not like he needed to put in much effort, seeing as Roxas was pretty much a zombie at this point.

"All right, Sora, Roxas, come here." Cloud addressed the sleepy siblings in a commanding voice as he turned around from the ticket counter and went off to the side to get out of the way of others behind them, making them both jolt awake and follow close behind. Cloud handed each of them their respectful tickets, labled with their flight time and seating arrangements, which were both together side by side. "Here's your tickets, be sure you catch your flight on time because I'm not making another trip to pick you boys back up in another two hours. Go grab some breakfast with the money I gave you last night and get in line as fast as you can. When you get to Atlanta, Uncle Cid should be waiting for you," Cloud rolled his eyes a little. "At least, in theory. If he isn't, just stay put until he gets there."

"Come on Dad, we aren't seven, we can do this." Sora groaned impatiently as he pushed the strap of his duffle bag back onto his shoulder properly, resulting in an icy stare from the elder blonde.

"Don't you give me bullshit, Sora, or I'll slap you right here for the whole world to see, you understand?" Roxas had to bite on his lip a little to contain a snicker. He may be seventeen, but he somehow got a weird kick out of seeing his little brother get in trouble. Maybe it was a sibling thing.

"Yes sir." Sora grumbled submissively as crossed his arms and looked off to the side, his duffle bag swinging around in front of him and making him stumble forward a little.

"Roxas," Cloud looked to his eldest son with an equally icy look. "Sora is your responsibility from now until you get to Uncle Cid's, understand?"

"Yes sir." Roxas replied.

"And one last thing," Cloud's tone got significantly quieter as he placed a rough hand on his shoulder and squeezed on it lightly as he leaned in closer to speak in a soft whisper. "If anything happens while you're there, if anyone gives you or Sora a hard time, you're to tell me about it when it happens. Not when you get home; you call me as soon as it happens and I'll get it straightened out. I'm counting on you to look after yourself and your brother."

"Okay." Roxas answered with a small nod, though his brows were scrunched together in confusion as Cloud pulled away from Roxas and exchanged their brief goodbyes before Cloud disappeared into the crowd of bustling people by the airport's exit. Why was he suddenly so concerned about people giving them a hard time? Sure, Roxas had the typical teenage drama going on back at school in Georgia, but it was nothing too out of the ordinary. No one ever really gave him a hard time, though he couldn't say the same for Sora. Perhaps that's what he must have meant; Sora got picked on a lot as a child, though it was for reasons that Roxas couldn't exactly fathom. It had only confused him further after seeing how well Sora got along with people when they moved up North. Back in Georgia, Sora didn't have very many friends and he wasn't very social at all, but once they moved, Sora was going out almost every weekend with his large circle of friends. It was like a weird case of role reversal. Roxas had a pretty good social life back in Georgia, yet when they moved to Pennsylvania, his social life was next to non-existent at first. It had greatly improved since that first rough month in August, but again, he mainly had Axel to thank for that.

"Hey, you okay?" The familiar voice of his redheaded demon friend interrupted his train of thought, feeling Axel's large gloved hand come to rest on his shoulder in a similar fashion as his father's, except Axel's was much more comforting and his grip was a lot smoother. Roxas looked up at the Preta beside him and gave him a small smile. It was then he felt Sora tug at his right arm rather roughly, almost making the blonde stumble over himself and fall over.

"Come on, I'm hungry," Sora whined as he dragged Roxas through the labyrinth of people that stretched on in front of them for what seemed like an eternity, with Axel not too far behind.

* * *

Xemnas was coming. He could tell because the blizzard was beginning to let up around him, the howling wind that battered his broken body beginning to let up into a soft yet still painful whistle. It wasn't like Xemnas actually had any control over the weather down here, but he was still a higher being than those of the typical Naraka inhabitants, so he was virtually unaffected by the blistering cold. The only reason that Xemnas ever waited until the blizzards became bearable was because he took some sickening joy out of watching him suffer through this unbearable pain, because it was difficult to see during a full fledged snowstorm or blizzard, at least that's what he thought.

He heard the sound of the icy snow crunching not too far away, signaling the black and white clad Asura's arrival. He could feel a growl threatening to rise in this throat, though to make any sound would only bring him more pain. Not like he was going to remain silent for much longer, because Xemnas was going to do his best to make this seemingly harmless deed as painful as possible.

"Good evening, my dear friend," Xemnas' bass voice resonated through the whistling wind, watching as his already extremely impaired vision be hindered further by the fuzzy white and deeply tan colored object looming directly above him whom he knew without a doubt was Xemnas. He didn't respond, not only because he couldn't, but because he had no desire to. Xemnas was the reason he was here in the first place. "It would seem that I am in need of your…magic touch."

He only closed his eyes, feeling the frozen skin of his eyelids shred like paper as he did so, feeling blood trickle down his temples. This 'magic touch' that the Asura spoke of was undoubtedly his ability to bring life to still-creatures, though Xemnas was using such power for more malicious intent. He was still not completely sure of Xemnas' plot, though he did know it had something to do with forcing harvested souls into inanimate vessels. Yuna sure liked to talk when she delivered her prayers, so he knew all about the current Angel of Prayer's suspicions about Xemnas harvesting the souls of wandering earthly Pretas. Yet, he had information that she didn't, and that was his part to play in all of this. If anything, he felt responsible.

The snow crunched further as Xemnas kneeled down beside him, placing a hand upon his chin and tilting it upward, making scarred wounds on his neck from previous ordeals split wide open into gashes and making him cough and wheeze, the wind and ice stinging the wounds miserably. A thumb on the right side of his jaw and an index and middle finger on the other, he wanted to scream out in pain as Xemnas pried open his jaws, the corners of his mouth splitting open and tearing along his cheek. He felt something else begin to probe around the insides of his mouth, guided by Xemnas' free hand. It was a sucking device, a dropper of some sort, sucking along every corner of his mouth, under his tongue, for all traces of his saliva. His saliva held the magical quality that Xemnas sought after, for all angels of his type held the same quality, if he was still considered an angel at all. Every time Xemnas came to take more of his saliva, he could feel Xemnas stretch his jaw a little further each time, splitting his skin a little farther up his cheekbones. His skin was brittle due to the harsh conditions, making any sort of touch, any contact torturous and painful. He squeezed his eyes shut against his better judgement, feeling more blood trickle down his temples as he waited for the ordeal to be over.

"I do appreciate your contribution to my cause." Xemnas chuckled softly as he withdrew the instrument from his prisoner's mouth, releasing his grip on his jaw and coming to loom above him once again. "You should consider yourself lucky, perhaps even blessed, to be apart of this new revolution. I assure you, you will not be forgotten once I have conquered the Pure Abode. Perhaps I can put in a pardon for you."

A 'contribution'…that's what he calls it. Xemnas comes for them very often, he noticed, and the only solace he received from that was that Xemnas' experiments were either failing or not making any progress. Heaven was safe, for now.

A malicious grin curled upon Xemnas' lips as he turned away from the bleeding corpse-like body, looking down at his precious sample in his hands.

"Yes, I do enjoy our little chats, Terra. Unfortunately, I do think that this one will be our last."

* * *

**_Okay, the answer to the random quiz question is…. Roxas' Mellow Mushroom T-Shirt~ back in chapter 12, Roxas was wearing a Mellow Mushroom T-Shirt because it's his favorite pizza restaurant. In the sequal to Roxas' Playhouse Adventure, Roxas is wearing a Mellow Mushroom tee because he works there. But Axel takes it off during his little lap dance, so who cares, right? XD_**

**_Yes, be angry with me…because I know this chappy was kinda filler-ish. But hey, those kinda chapters are needed to tie things together right? Besides, you get to find out that Axel's been around… * wiggles eyebrows.* And who the mystery man in the beginning is, yes? Only eleven days left….I promise the next one will be more eventful._**

**_You have no idea how conflicted I was in making Cloud the daddy. In my defense, I have absolutely no fuckin' idea about Final Fantasy characters because I've (sadly) never touched a single FF game in my life. I plan to change that at some point, but just deal with my ignorance. It seemed to me Tifa and Cloud had a little something going on in KH so I said "fuckit" :D_**


	21. Are You Nervous?

_**A/N: Sorry for the double post, something went wrong with the url or something.**_

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At first, Roxas was worried that Axel wouldn't have anywhere to sit. He knew from past flying experiences that the seats could get pretty crowded very easily, so sitting in the redhead's lap wasn't an option. The rows they were going to be sitting in only sat two people, and Sora had the seat beside him, so Axel couldn't sit there, either. He considered convincing the Preta to ride in the cargo hold under the plane, but any thoughts he had about doing so vanished as he and Sora came back from grabbing a couple of cinnamon rolls at one of the airport's food vendors and went towards the large waiting area, finding the redhead in one of the black plastic chairs right at the floor to ceiling windows, staring out at the array of jet liners outside. He was sitting in the chair with his elbow propped up on the arm of the chair, resting his chin upon the fisted palm, his left foot tapping upon the ground nervously. Roxas frowned; Axel was displaying classical symptoms of 'airplane jitters,' as his mom would so delicately put it. She wasn't a great flyer and always got a little nervous right before takeoff, but afterwards she was all right. Perhaps Axel has never been on an airplane before?

Roxas quietly directed his younger brother towards the seats where Axel was sitting, the brunette much too concerned with shoving a cinnamon roll down his throat to give much thought or input into Roxas' seating selection. Axel only gave Roxas a passing glance as the two came to sit, with Roxas sitting beside Axel and Sora sitting right beside his brother. The blonde was expecting Axel to start prodding at his scalp greedily as he did every morning, but the Preta was still distracted by the planes outside. He chose to say nothing for now due to Sora's conscious presence, but he knew that in a few minutes after finishing his roll and orange juice that the brunette would be out like a light. Sure enough, by the time Roxas was only halfway finished with his own cinnamon roll did he look over at Sora to see his younger brother slumped in the chair, the black Styrofoam container that the cinnamon roll had come in and an empty orange juice bottle lying at his feet, eyes closed and the corners of his mouth glistening with traces of leftover confectioner sugar glaze. Roxas quickly glanced around to see if there were many people around. The waiting area wasn't as heavily populated as the food court and ticket counters at the moment, so Roxas saw no harm in addressing Axel in a whisper for the time being.

"Hey." Roxas greeted the redhead in a hushed tone, but it was enough to make Axel jump a little in his seat, the surprised expression on his face quickly shifting to what looked like embarrassment.

"Hey." Axel parroted Roxas' greeting with the smallest amount of enthusiasm.

"Is…something wrong?"

"No," Axel replied bluntly. "Why would there be?"

"You just seem a little nervous to me." Roxas took a bite out of his breakfast and chewed on it for a few moments. "And you're getting all defensive like you usually do."

"I am not." Axel frowned and brought his face away from his fisted palm to fold his arms at his chest, leaning back into the chair.

"You are too." Roxas internally groaned. Here we go again.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"We don't have time for this." Roxas huffed irritably, though making it as quiet as possible. "Remember our little discussion about your trust issues?"

"Didn't I tell you to be patient?" Axel shot back with an underlying seething tone. Roxas sighed.

"Just tell me, are you afraid of flying?" Axel gave Roxas a good, long stare, and Roxas could only figure that Axel was trying to debate whether or not to answer the question honestly. Just as Roxas was about to throw his hands up and forget about the brief conversation entirely, Axel cleared his throat.

"I'm not afraid of flying." Axel stated, looking away from Roxas to look back out the window. "I've just never actually flown on one before so I don't really know what to expect." Ah, just like Roxas suspected. Roxas placed a reassuring hand on the Preta's shoulder, making the redhead turn his head to look back down at Roxas.

"If it makes you feel any better, they say it's safer to ride in airplanes than in cars." Roxas tried to console the redhead, but he only got a snort in response.

"And who is 'they'?" Axel asked. Roxas opened his mouth to answer, but his brows scrunched together thoughtfully as he shut his jaw, mulling over Axel's question.

"Um…I dunno, I heard it on TV before." Roxas admitted. "But I mean, I guess I could see why, since in cars you're pretty much one swerve away from crashing into another car and in airplanes you're riding solo for the most part…except you're thousands of feet in the air, so…" Roxas could see that Axel was not amused by his explanation at all. Roxas gave a frustrated sigh before looking up at Axel sheepishly. "I'm not helping, am I?"

"Not really." The redhead kindly deadpanned.

"Sorry." Roxas removed his hand from the Preta's shoulder to grab the bottle of water that was sitting in between his thighs, his other hand occupied with the small Styrofoam box with the half eaten cinnamon roll in it, feeling stupid for what he just did and looked at the roll in his hand with slight distain. He was a little surprised when he felt Axel thread his long fingers through his fuzzy-looking blonde hair and ruffled it gently.

"I know you were just trying to help. I really appreciate it." Axel said kindly, the bereaved blonde looking up at Axel to be greeted with a kiss to the top of his head. He watched Roxas' cheeks shift into that familiar, cute rosy color that he liked so much, smiling as the hand that was atop Roxas' head snaked downward to curl around his neck, giving his little blonde prey a one-armed hug. Roxas' head made contact with Axel's chest, his ear pressed up against his chest to where he could hear the soft rhythm of Axel's breathing and for just a few moments. Though the hug was short, it was enough to leave Roxas a little lightheaded when they pulled away.

"Will you be okay?" Roxas asked as Axel unhooked his arm from around his neck, having realized that his own hands were occupied with other things and couldn't attempt to return the gesture. Axel glanced back over to the window thoughtfully before looking back to Roxas.

"I'll be fine." Axel shrugged casually. "It's not really that big of a deal. But thanks for trying to make me feel better." He ended his sentence with a smile, his rare but nonetheless gorgeous sincere smile. The type of smile that always made Roxas instinctively smile back. It was almost girly, really, the way his stomach did summersaults when Axel smiled like that, but then again, he didn't smile like that very often. Most of the time he's sneering, grinning mischievously, smiling in that 'innocent yet guilty' sort of way or sometimes even brooding. But whenever Axel would give him such a sincere smile, he just felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Yes, girly, but he couldn't think of a better way to explain it. Not that he would tell Axel about it, the Preta would probably laugh at him and he'd never live it down.

After finishing his breakfast and waking up Sora, the trio finally made it past the dreaded security line after almost an hour and at last began to approach the plane. Roxas took one look up at Axel and saw that he still didn't seem too excited about getting on the airplane. His thin lips were drawn into a fine line, his jade colored eyes apprehensive as he glared up at the huge white jet plane like he had a personal beef with it. When Roxas went to tap his upper arm, Axel surprisingly jumped at the contact, startled. His startled look disappeared as he gave the blonde his classical amused grin like nothing was wrong and continued onwards towards the plane.

It was when Roxas made it to the moveable staircase attached to the plane's entrance that he remembered his original predicament: Where was Axel going to sit? Roxas quickly stuck a hand in his front pocket, fingers shuffling around for the small sliver of paper that would tell him his seating number. Retrieving said ticket, he glanced over the seat number, which read 'A001.' _Okay, the letter A, that probably means we're in the front row. And the number one, and Sora probably has number two. Maybe there's a space in the front like there usually is for handicapped travelers? _Roxas quietly crossed his fingers as he started walking up the stairs, hoping that someone didn't decide to bring their paraplegic grandmother with them on a flight to Atlanta, Georgia at eight in the morning.

For some reason, when Roxas entered the plane, it smelled like stale crackers. The flight attendant directed them towards their seats, which felt as uncomfortable as they looked. They were tan colored leather seats that had only one arm rest for Roxas to use that folded in between his and Sora's seat. Sora wanted to keep their carry on with them at his feet, mainly because it contained their precious electronic devices used for entertainment, and even Roxas didn't want to risk them getting nabbed by someone.

Just as Roxas had thought, there was a large space of room in front of them, the black and white speckled tile floor outlined in one large square in bright yellow spike tape indicating the area for handicapped travelers to sit, with seatbelts attached to the wall in front of them. Fortunately, no one was currently taking up that space, so Axel was more than happy to occupy it. He scooted in to sit down with his back against the wall where Roxas was sitting, sitting sideways in front of Roxas with his long legs propped up on the carry on bag at Sora's feet, letting out an over-embellished content sigh as he leaned his head back against the wall, looking up at Roxas.

"You know, I think this is the only time ever that I will be looking up at you." Axel said. Roxas nudged him in the side with his foot in response to his joke on the blonde's height. Axel chuckled and waited until Sora was finished fiddling with the carry on to get his DSi to quickly slip his hand into the bag and fish out Roxas' iTouch.

Roxas remained silent for the most part, leaning with his head pressed up against the small circular window as he watched Axel play Tap Tap as they waited for the plane to begin to take off. _Take off….shit._ Roxas frowned. _What's Axel going to do about a seat belt? He's never flown, so he's gonna flip a shit when this plane starts down the runway._

He didn't exactly 'flip a shit,' but he did look apprehensive as the plane's engine was started up and passengers were instructed to buckle their seatbelts. He pulled the ear buds out of his ears and absently plopped the iTouch into Roxas' lap as he rose to his feet, looking around for an empty seat that he could only sit in until after take off. The plane was a little over halfway full, but Axel managed to locate an empty seat beside a gentleman in a rather clean cut looking suit about two rows behind Roxas. Axel pursed his lips distastefully, but as the plane lurched forward to head towards the runway, he practically stumbled right into the seat anyway.

Axel's nerves were shot at this point, so he didn't even think about startling the man beside him as he fumbled with the seatbelt to get it buckled. The only thing on his mind at the moment was _holy shit, holy shit, holy shit, _so when the man beside him muttered a 'What the-?' at the loud clicking noise beside him from the seatbelt buckling, Axel honestly didn't care if he spooked the man or not. He probably would have enjoyed it if blood weren't pumping up in his eardrums.

Axel silently cursed his anxiety as he clutched onto the armrests of the seat, but he couldn't help it even if he tried. Just like his memories of the concentration camp, a horrid fear of planes, whether they be combat aircraft or not, had been ingrained into the depths of his mind as a small child, only to come to full light after the invasion of Poland. Traveling around Europe, he made it a point to never travel by air; but now he didn't have much of a choice. When Roxas had told him they were going to be flying to Atlanta, Axel had thought that perhaps after sixty years of traveling by foot, portal and sea would have helped him outgrow this phobia. It was clear when he gripped the armrests beside him tightly as the plane picked up speed that it definitely wasn't the case. Now he was somewhat glad that Roxas was sitting a few rows ahead, because he definitely didn't want the blonde to see him like this.

Axel remained uptight like this until well after takeoff, and it wasn't until ten minutes after the flight attendants had politely informed the passengers that they could remove their seat belts and move about the cabin that Axel finally unsnapped his seatbelt, still oblivious to another concerned grunt coming from the gentleman beside him. He sat there for several moments to regain his composure before finally rising to his feet unsteadily and walked back to the front of the cabin where he knew Roxas and Sora were located. His first few steps were a little on the clumsy side, but by the time he came to where Roxas was sitting he finally regained the equilibrium he needed to look completely calm and collected as he sank right back down onto the tile floor at Roxas' feet, leaning back against the wall with a relieved sigh.

"Everything okay?" Axel heard Roxas whisper softly, looking up at the blonde above him that had his blue ear buds of his iTouch shoved into each ear to see him looking down at him with genuine concern. It was almost like he knew Axel was two steps away from a full on panic attack a little while ago. But Axel held his ground as he gave a shrug.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Axel said nonchalantly before the thought hit him as to why Roxas was talking to him. He looked over at Sora to see the tween going at his video game, but he had a pair of headphones plugged into the black and navy blue gaming device so he couldn't hear anything that was going on around him. Axel could hear the couple behind them having a very hearty conversation at a volume slightly louder than normal, so he doubted that they would hear or even care if they heard Roxas whispering quietly. _How convenient_, Axel thought with a devilish cackle in his head. _That means I can mess around with Roxas for the next few hours._ It was enough to keep Axel's mind of the fact that he was thousands of feet above the ground…_ugh, better not think about that._

Before Roxas could say anything else, he felt Axel quickly tug at the single blue chord of his earbud that was embedded into his right ear, plucking the bud out of his ear and retrieving it for himself.

"Uhm, excuse me?" Roxas reproached after a proper 'ahem.' Axel looked up at Roxas for a moment before unceremoniously crossing his arms on the blonde's knees and resting his chin atop his folded arms before giving Roxas a blank stare. There was obviously no purpose behind this stare, which made Roxas feel extremely awkward, yet Roxas was pretty sure that's what Axel was trying to do, so he tried to ignore it and started to flip through his 'Recently Added' playlist.

After about five minutes, Roxas could still feel Axel's bright green eyes drilling into him, and it was beginning to make him feel nervous. Frustrated, he glared at the Preta at his knees.

"What?" Roxas hissed quietly. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were expecting me to just sit here and stare at you for three hours." Axel chided, narrowing his eyes a little. "Does it make little Roxy uncomfortable?"

"You are such a dick."

"You think this is uncomfortable?" Axel challenged as he sneered, plucking the earphone out of his ear. "I can make things much more uncomfortable for you, my friend."

"Oh really?" Roxas could hear a tiny voice in the back of his mind screaming "DROP SUBJECT NOW, ABORT MISSION," but it was already too late. He had signed onto whatever shenanigan Axel was already planning and there was no stopping now. "Try me."

"You really sure about that, Roxas?" Axel purred teasingly as his jade colored eyes flickered with a flame of mischief as he batted his long eyelashes at the teen.

"Um…yeah." Roxas now knew he was going to regret this. A lot.

"Okay then," Axel shifted around until he was on his knees in front of Roxas, moving so his elbows were propped up on Roxas' knees as he rested his chin in his hands, looking up at Roxas with a grin. "Let's play a game to pass the time."

"What game?" Roxas dared to ask.

"Just a little game called 'Are You Nervous?'" Axel rolled his eyes in that sort of 'I'm trying to look innocent to hide my perverted intention' sort of way. "Ever played?"

"Yes, I have." Roxas replied flatly as he mentally gave himself an ass-kicking for walking into this completely awkward and humiliating situation. 'Are You Nervous' was a game that silly horny teenagers would play at parties that basically gave each other permission to molest and fondle to their hearts content until someone proclaimed that they were nervous. It would usually start at the knee, the hand, or the foot, until traveling to more personal areas. If the one inflicting the molestation said they were nervous first, the victim would win, and if the victim claimed they were nervous first, the instigator would win. If Axel was looking for a way to make Roxas uncomfortable, he was definitely heading in the right direction.

"Good, then I don't have to explain it to you." Axel grinned as he clapped his hands together. "Alright, I'll go first."

"What? Why? What if I want to go first?" Roxas huffed.

"Honestly, it would look pretty weird to Sora if you went first if he just so happened to look up at you. That and the whole purpose of this exercise is to make you uncomfortable." Axel's tone was rather chipper at the last sentence. Roxas glanced over at Sora, who was still playing his DSi, having totally forgotten that he was there. And now, upon realizing his brother's presence, it just made the awkward meter on this entire situation explode into tiny little pieces. Axel could see the uncertainty in Roxas' eyes and snickered. "Think you can handle it, Rrroxy?" Again with the purring and the rolling R's that made Roxas' skin crawl. It was enough to give Roxas a visible chill.

"Yeah, I can handle it. Give it your best shot." Roxas said in a provoking tone, his pride not allowing himself to give up so easily before the game had even started. Besides, Sora was occupied with his DSi, and he was pretty sure Axel wouldn't take it too far…right?

"If you say so," Axel chuckled as he brought his elbows off of Roxas' knees to ready his hands for the task at hand. Roxas made a surprised grunting noise as Axel climbed up into his lap in an attempt to straddle him, but with the seats being so small and awkwardly positioned, it was a bit of a tight fit for Axel to try to put Roxas' legs in between his own, but thanks to his skinny body he was able to do so with minimal discomfort to him. Roxas' legs were squeezed together somewhat uncomfortably, but the blonde was pretty sure that this game wasn't about physical discomfort to an extent of pain. Axel tilted his head to the side. "Nervous?"

"No, but I can already feel my legs starting to fall asleep." Roxas muttered as he tried to wiggle his toes within the confinement of his tennis shoes. Axel had straddled him several times before, so this was nothing special. The redhead reached forward with two hands and cupped Roxas' face in his palms, fingertips gently rubbing behind the blonde's ears.

"Nervous?"

"No. If you want my honest opinion, you're not doing a good job of making me nervous." Roxas replied softly as the pleasant touch was coaxing his eyes to grow a little heavy, feeling a warm ripple of relaxation enveloping his form.

"I was trying to be nice and slow about this," Axel rolled his eyes a little before he gave Roxas a sinister looking sneer. "But it looks to me like you're enjoying it too much." Roxas could hear the dangerously teasing tone in his voice, and that was more than enough to snap him out of the nice little trance he had been coaxed into but not nearly soon enough to retaliate against a forceful kiss from the Preta before him. His hands that had been so soft and comforting around the sides of his face became like an iron grip as he held Roxas' face in place as he forced his tongue in between the blonde's lips to probe within greedily as he had done several times before.

To Roxas, it was all so fast that it didn't register right away what exactly happened until Axel pulled away just as abruptly as he had begun the kiss, but it went without saying that it definitely caught him off guard. A prickling sensation tickled the back of Roxas' neck as Axel gave a teasing lick to his still slightly surprised agape lips, and Roxas could feel that familiar twitch of nervousness. With that alone, Axel had successfully accomplished his mission of making Roxas uncomfortable.

"Are you nervous?" Axel purred sensually as he trailed his long fingertips down Roxas' chest slowly, his warm breath washing over the shocked blonde's face. Roxas was about to surrender without a thought until he finally regained his focus and pushed his head back against the seat, seeing that Axel was giving him that victoriously smug smirk that made his pride take over once again. So he was a little nervous, yes. But not enough to admit defeat just yet. At least that's what he kept telling himself.

"N-no." Roxas replied softly as he glanced away from Axel to look out the window, though there wasn't very much to see out there at all, and then over to Sora, who had yet to look up at him yet, and Roxas quickly thanked is lucky stars for that much. It probably wouldn't have looked like much to Sora if he had looked up anyway, except Roxas probably looked like he was scared shitless at something up against the wall in front of them.

"Really?" Axel drawled after he let his tongue flicker across Roxas' jaw line. "Hmmm…" Axel made a thought filled hum as he placed his face in the crook of Roxas' neck, nipping at the tan flesh ever so gently. "There must be something…"

While Axel was having a grand old time teasing at the exposed flesh of Roxas' neck, Roxas was starting to get nervous. Yet, not because of Axel's actions so much as what is actions were doing to him. He could feel a familiar itch just below his stomach, and upon recognizing the sensation he became much more hypersensitive to Axel's ministrations. His cheeks were flushed as he dared to try to shift his head away to get Axel to release him, but it only made the Preta retaliate by latching onto the base of Roxas' neck and sucking upon the luscious flesh to deliver his signature hickey.

"Ugh, Axel-" Roxas groaned as he tried to push Axel off of him, but his hands were immediately restrained to the armrests by Axel's own as he continued his onslaught. _This is bad, this is so not good,_Roxas heard himself begin to panic. Was he even ready for this? He didn't know; the thought of ever going much farther than they already had didn't cross his mind often. Granted, when Axel had teased him in class several weeks ago, he had ran as fast as he could to the restroom and had the overpowering need to relieve himself of the tension. But was Axel on his mind while he was shamefully masturbating in the bathroom stall? He couldn't remember at the moment, either because he legitimately couldn't remember or Axel was distracting him on several different levels. It felt so new, yet it wasn't.

"All you have to do is say it." Axel whispered into Roxas' reddened and wet skin after pulling away with a soft popping noise as a result from suction. Roxas parted his lips to utter the forbidden words until he felt Axel's tongue on his neck again, biting down on his lips to prevent a gasp from slipping free. He was clutching the armrests so hard and intently that he didn't realize that Axel had let go of them, his gloved fingertips toying with the hem of his shirt. When heated fingers dipped under the thin fabric to glide across the highly contrasted fair skin beneath of Roxas' stomach and chest, he just about lost it. He was going to lose it completely if he didn't stop Axel right now. Part of him was curious and wanted the redhead to continue, but this time reason defeated desire.

"Stop it!" Roxas hissed, latching onto the first words that came to his mind.

"What the heck?" Roxas heard Sora exclaim beside him out of nowhere. Roxas looked over to see Sora giving him a highly annoyed glare as he yanked his headphones off of his head. "What did I do?"

"Uh…" Roxas said dimly, hearing Axel snicker as he kept prodding at Roxas's bare chest. "Oh, uh, I wasn't talking to you." Roxas said as he elbowed the back of his seat. "The person behind me keeps kicking my seat."

"Have you thought of just turning around and asking them to stop instead of screaming? Geez, I had my headphones in and you still gave me a flippin' heart attack!"

"Shut up and play your stupid Mario game, Sora." Roxas rolled his eyes and tried to avoid Sora's confused gaze, but as he tried to turn his head to look out the window he was met with red spiky hair all up in his face. After sticking his tongue out at Roxas in an utmost immature fashion while wiggling his fingers with his thumb touching his nose, Sora went back to putting his headphones back on to continue playing with his handheld.

"Stop it, Axel, seriously." Roxas whined in a whisper as he suddenly remembered that he had hands and tried to pull Axel's hands out from under his shirt, but his attempts proved to be quite unsuccessful as Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas' waist while still under his shirt, his warm gloved hands running over the delicate and sensitive skin of the small of his back with a feather soft touch, exploring uncharted territory with much enthusiasm.

"What are the magic words~?" Axel cooed into his ear before nipping the loose skin of his earlobe and tugging at it gently.

"Okay okay, I'm nerv-_aaaaussss!_" Roxas' back arched ferociously as Axel's fingers pressed down on a particularly tender spot at the base of the small of Roxas' back, making an intense wave of prickling pleasure shoot up Roxas' spine like lightening. It took all of Roxas' being to suppress a moan into a shaky gasp as his blue eyes shot wide open.

Even Axel was a little surprised at the reaction he got. At the sound of Roxas' gasp, he couldn't help but stop what he was doing and look at Roxas, his small scarlet brows turned upwards in surprise.

"Holy crap, I didn't think you'd be that vocal." Axel said in a bemused tone. Yet again, he probably should have expected it, seeing as Roxas always shrieked like a little girl whenever he tickled the blonde. Well, maybe not like a little girl, but pretty close. Axel was very tempted to do it again, but as the rules say, once someone has said they were nervous, the game is over. Axel could only grin victoriously as he withdrew his hands out from under Roxas' shirt. "I win."

Roxas didn't reply, but only tried to slink back into his chair as much as possible, his red tint on his face rivaling Axel's own hair color. It wasn't until Axel tried shuffling off of Roxas that he understood why.

_Oh…ooh._ Axel's green eyes flooded with comprehension as he sank back down onto the floor, staring blatantly at the slight tenting of Roxas' pants. When he looked back up at Roxas, he tried to read the expression on his face, but he couldn't quite comprehend it; was he angry? Ashamed? Embarrassed? Bashful? _Maybe I went a little too far…?_

The Preta was feeling a weird mixture of satisfaction, shame and confusion as he looked down at his palms blankly that were resting in his lap. He had to admit, after a little while he wasn't even completely sure of what he was doing because pent up sexual frustration was coming out all at once. His hunger has always been his first priority, which left his sexual desires on the backburner for many years; but now that he allowed his libido the tiniest length of leash, it literally dragged him over the line as it all came out at once after being locked up for over sixty years or so. He only wished he could have stopped the flood of selfish ambition to take into account how Roxas would react to it, seeing as he had never been like this with another guy before.

As Roxas got up and silently excused himself to the bathroom, Axel sighed and leaned his head back against the wall, knocking the back of his head into the metal a couple of times as he felt another gut-wrenching memory started to rear his ugly head. It was one that Axel always damned himself for, because not only was it the key to his demise, but he could have easily prevented it if he had been more careful.

This wasn't the first time his own desires got the better of him.

* * *

It was the same routine every single day for three years; wake up at 6 am, get dressed and cook breakfast, wake up Aerith at 6:30 am and have her ready and at Mrs. Guntram's apartment at 7 am before heading off to the food bank. Arriving at 7:15 am, he and other 'employees' would unload the day's deliveries and separate the food accordingly into their designated spots in the broken down storehouse that the bank operated in. There would already be a line at the front door a mile long when Axel arrived, and from 8 am to 2 pm it was a constant stream of poverty stricken peasants much like himself, some of them even dressed in rags with newspaper wrapped around their bare feet coming to him with a handful of meager food stamps that awarded them with the same care package; two pounds of flour, half a loaf of bread (sometimes a whole loaf if there was a surplus on the delivery truck that morning) a few pieces of standard fruit like apples or bananas, two pounds of rice or beans, and half a pound of whatever meat they were given on that particular day. Most of the time it was beef, but there were rare occasions that they were given something like pork or chicken.

Like all other food banks, it was a non-profit organization. Axel didn't receive cash for pay, but instead was given two care packages at the end of every day as his 'pay' for volunteering. This was the food that he and Aerith were living off of on a daily basis. His cash money came from the odd end jobs that he would perform for Mrs. Guntram after arriving back at the complex a little after 2 o'clock. Most of the time it was just housecleaning duties, but there were times where she would need things repaired, replaced, or even built, and Axel was her go-to man for the job.

Mrs. Guntram was a kind woman in her late 50's that had opened her doors to Axel and Aerith when Axel came around looking for a place to stay when he was eighteen. They had been living in the complex ever since. She had dark brown hair that had several long grey streaks that brushed upon her shoulders whenever it wasn't tied into the tight bun on the back of her head. Her face had many fine lines, but even at that age she still somehow managed to retain dimples that would show whenever she smiled, which was something she did very often. She had been very kind to both of them, especially Aerith in particular. She never did charge Axel for keeping Aerith while he was at the food bank, and Axel would later come to find out that her daughter and five-year old granddaughter had been killed in the German invasion of Poland by a group of German soldiers that had opened fire into a crowd of Polish citizens in the street that were desperately struggling to get to safety in an underground bunker in the same fashion Axel had done. She would laugh and jokingly say that Aerith was like her own granddaughter at times, and Axel could tell she was still grieving over her loss, so he always allowed Aerith to keep her company whenever she pleased or if he needed to go out somewhere and didn't feel safe about bringing Aerith along.

After finally leaving from Mrs. Guntram's apartment at around 6 pm, Axel and Aerith would head to their own apartment and prepare dinner, where Aerith would sing a nursery rhyme or two that Mrs. Guntram had taught her that day while 'helping' her big brother prepare their usual dinner of rice, beans and bread before bathing and cleaning up. Axel would then tell Aerith a bedtime story before finally getting to be at around 9 pm.

It was the same every day, and despite it's grim undertones, Axel honestly wouldn't have wanted it any other way. He was now twenty-one, and had masterfully gotten into the rhythm of this particular lifestyle. Axel had been raised in poverty, so living in it wasn't very hard. He had a roof over his head, a steady stream of income (as small as it may be,) food to eat and his beloved sister Aerith to look after and brighten his day every time he heard her squeal his name in delight every time he walked through Mrs. Guntram's door and cling to his leg. Aerith was all he had. Ever since he was seventeen, all of his decisions, his goals, his everything was about and for Aerith. Aerith Aerith Aerith every single time. So when he found himself face to face with something for himself, something for his own personal and emotional benefit, he was totally unprepared.

It was a day like any other. The same morning routine, the waking up, breakfast, drop off at Mrs. Guntrams, it was all the same. The only thing different was that Axel wasn't in a good mood. It was the middle of January, and their apartment didn't have a major source of heat besides a rinky-dink space heater in the bedroom that hardly ever worked anyhow, so it was teeth-chattering cold when he awoke that morning. He muttered and cursed under his breath while he made breakfast and got Aerith ready to leave. Donning his navy blue jacket and a faded gray and red wool scarf that Mrs. Guntram had made for him a year or two ago, he hurriedly ushered Aerith out the door and into the care of Mrs. Guntram before heading off to the food bank. The cold wind lashed at his face as he walked along the street, folding his arms tightly to his chest as he buried his nose into the scarf wrapped around his neck. He took no consolation in the thought that the storehouse had no source of heat, which made him even bitterer as he stepped past the long line of people standing outside the food bank to go around back the alley to where the delivery truck was waiting to be unloaded for the day.

After everything had been unloaded and sorted out, the doors were opened to those in need of food. The storehouse was separated into two sections; the front section was where those with stamps would line up in front of a series of counters where volunteers would hand out the boxes of food that were stacked in bins behind the counter. The second half of the storehouse was larger than the other, separated by a wall that had been built inside about two weeks ago to prevent the food from being stolen by potential thieves, and a door with a painted 'Volunteers Only' sign. It was where all of the food was stored, prepared, and boxed up to be placed in the bins at the counter. Before the wall had been built, people would just walk straight to where the food was prepared and take the box from whoever had finished a box first. But once they started having problems with people sneaking extra helpings of food on their way out, the wall was built and the counters were placed to keep that from happening. Whatever they got from the delivery truck every day was all they had, and they couldn't afford people sneaking extra helpings. Even in tough times like this, people were still just as conniving as ever, perhaps even more so, and some would still try to find ways to con the food bank.

That day there weren't very many volunteers, only five to be exact, so Axel was assigned to work in the back and make the food boxes while everyone else was assigned to the counter. He didn't mind being the only one because he knew how to work fast, and was able to fill up the bins to the brim before the doors had even opened. It was after he filled up his third bin that he witnessed a prime example of desperate people going to desperate measures to survive under harsh German rule.

There were rules and exceptions in the bank that allowed people to cut to the front of the line, and that included the disabled and pregnant women. So, it wasn't too unusual when Axel heard the annoyed groans and curses of chilled citizens when a woman cut to the very front of the line to claim two care packages instead of one due to her supposedly pregnant status. When Axel stood upright to take a look at this woman, he immediately knew that there was something off. Her stomach was round, no doubt, but she was holding it in a certain way that it seemed like she was trying to hold her stomach up instead of just placing a careful hand atop of it.

"Dwa, proszę." '_Two, please_.' The woman asked softly in Polish as she placed a handful of food stamps onto the counter. The volunteer, whom Axel knew as Janie, looked down at the stamps, then to the woman, and then over her shoulder to look at Axel, who was still standing there and giving her a skeptical look.

'I think she's faking.' Janie mouthed to him, and Axel only replied with a brisk nod before his green eyes settled on the frightened looking young woman in front of the counter. In her eyes, she knew that Axel had seen through her disguise and was silently pleading him to let her slide. As much as Axel would have liked to help her out and remain silent, he had to think of all the other people that were just as poverty-stricken as she was. With a guilty conscience, Axel addressed the woman in a soft yet stern tone.

"Lift up your shirt." He said as he made and indication for the action with his hand. Axel watched as her eyes grew as wide as saucers.

"A-Ale…" She stuttered, and Axel recognized that as a sound of uncertainty.

"Please, lift up your shirt."

"Zboczeńcu!" '_Pervert_!' She exclaimed in her defense as she pointed at the redhead accusingly. Axel didn't know what that meant, but he had a feeling that it wasn't something very nice. Janie tried to calm the frazzled woman by speaking to her, but she was speaking in Polish and both of them were talking fast, so Axel didn't understand. Moments later two burly looking men that belonged to the food bank's security dressed in matching uniforms approached the three of them and demanded to know what was going on.

"This woman is trying to cheat us out of two care packages." Janie explained to them angrily. The woman began to visibly panic and tried to make a run for it, but one of the men managed to grab her shoulder and yank her backwards into the counter, making her lose her grip on her stomach, a 'plopping' sound soon followed.

Axel glanced over the counter to see that the woman's stomach was now magically flat, and looked to the floor to see the head of a mop and a small pillow lying on the floor at her feet. She was faking it, just as he had suspected. Upon this discovery, the two security men grabbed her by each shoulder and forced her out of line and out the door. Axel watched with a heavy heart as they released her at the entrance, but she turned right around and attempted to punch one of them in the stomach in her defense, but the men quickly fought back and proceeded to give her a beating right in the middle of the street. He cringed as his stomach became sick from guilt and turned around to return to the back of the storeroom to resume his duties.

He could hear the gasps and cries of horror even from inside the storeroom as he stacked all of the crates of apples into a pile in the corner of the room. He bit the inside of his cheek and tried to ignore it as he made another round's worth of boxes, and by the time he had refilled all of the bins, the ruckus had died down and everyone had become deathly quiet except for the hushed whispers between volunteer and citizen. This was the only part of his day that he actually hated. Confrontations like that weren't often, but when they did happen, it always resulted in a rain cloud over his head for the rest of the day.

When Axel cam back inside and began to stack the large bags of flour into a pile to try to create a decent-looking pathway from the back of the room and out the doorway, he heard an unfamiliar voice talk to him from behind him.

"Przepraszam." '_Excuse me_.' a voice addressed him in Polish from behind as he slung the twenty-five pound bag of flour onto the floor with a strained huff. Axel had to hold his tongue to keep from growling in frustration audibly as he whipped around to tend to this seemingly bold customer who had stepped across the 'do not cross' threshold into the back of the store room. It was a man, perhaps the same age as himself, and he looked much too nice to be in a place like this, at least as nice as one could look in a clean brown suede colored jacket and tan colored corduroy pants and matching brown shoes that seemed a little worse for wear, but it came to a surprise to Axel nonetheless. He had slightly longer than chin length brown hair with bangs that sweeped out towards the left of his face, his eyes a mild blue hue that were giving him the same annoyed glare that Axel was giving right back at him. What drew Axel's eyes to his face was a very distinctive diagonal scar across the bridge of his nose. The redhead couldn't determine whether he was poor enough to be in need of a food care package or if he was some kind of undercover policeman or Gestapo, judging by how nice he looked in comparison to Axel's ragged navy blue jacket with material that looked like it had been made out of a living room rug.

"What?" Axel asked in a nearly acidic tone in his native German, though familiar with the Polish language, he didn't know how to speak it very well. Any thoughts of treating the stranger before him with courtesy going out the window when an extremely cold chill of air swept through the open door that was left ajar by the brunette's intrusion, and from already being in a bad mood to begin with.

"Czekałem trzy godziny-" The man sounded very frustrated, but Axel cut him off by holding his hand up to silence him.

"If you know German, please speak it, because I don't speak Polish." The man sighed an rolled his eyes before trying again.

"I've been waiting in line for over three hours and I still haven't gotten any service yet. I've got somewhere I need to be in a half hour," The man made a 'hurry up' motion with his hands. "So I'd appreciate it if one if you people picked up the pace and give me what I came here for."

"Listen, asshole," Axel growled as he tapped his forehead with his index finger.* "In case you didn't notice, there's a 'volunteers only sign' on that door you just waltzed right into, meaning that you aren't supposed to be back here. You wanna end up like that broad that came in here a few minutes ago pretending to be pregnant?"

"I'm not looking for trouble, I just want my damn food and I'm tired of waiting." The other man scowled.

"Security!" Axel called out towards the open door, and found himself thrown up against the wall of the small storeroom, the bottles and other containers shaking violently from the tremors that resulted from Axel being pinned against the wall by the brunette stranger. Axel quickly slammed his knee into the man's stomach, making him gasp in pain and release his grip on the redhead's shoulders and stumble back. Axel threw a punch to the stranger's face, making him fall back onto the dusty flour covered hardwood floor beneath them. Making his getaway, Axel made a beeline for the open door to call for security once again, but he only barely made it out the door until he heard a weak, hoarse whisper.

"Stop, please," Axel heard the stranger say hoarsely as he tried to catch his breath. "Just…hear me out, okay?" Axel sighed irritably as he glanced out the door to see the massive swarm of people at the counter as they were being handed their food packages, seeing that the bins that held the packages behind the counters were full for the moment, so he didn't need to be in a hurry at the moment.

"You've got two minutes before I call security to beat your ass worse then I already have." Axel said as he turned around just a few feet away from the doorframe, his 'give-o-shit' meter pretty empty to put up with this crap so early in the morning. The man struggled up to his feet with a hand clutching his chest, the other groping around for some sort of support, finding it in the stack of flour sacks beside him.

"My name's Leon." He began, his voice becoming a little more consistent. "I apologize if I've come off as crass, but I've never had to do this sort of thing before, the food stamps and all." Leon cleared his throat to regain total use of his voice before continuing. "You've probably guessed that I'm better off than most of the people that come here, and you're right. But I really need to get this food as soon as I can, because my little brother's very sick and he needs it a hell of a lot more than I do. I've waited for three hours, and if I knew it was going to take this long I would have brought him with me, I left him at home-"

"You left a child at your home by himself?" Axel asked irritably, completely surprised by the gall of this 'Leon' to do such a thing. "You're a bigger idiot than I thought, leaving a kid in a house all by themselves in this day and age. What are you gonna do if you get home and he isn't there?" Axel's tone became accusatory as he narrowed his eyes at Leon. "What if you get home and its been ransacked by the Gestapo? You fucking moron." He spat the insult under his breath as he turned his back to the brunette and yanked a box out of the cluttered pile of boxes lying by the door and began throwing the food into the box somewhat carelessly.

"Who the heck do you think-"

"Shut up, I don't want to hear anymore of your bullshit, just wait there until I fix your package and we can forget this ever even happened." Axel's mind was racing as he quickly measured out the flour into a mason jar, disgusted at Leon's carelessness. Axel would never ever leave Aerith in their apartment alone, even if it were for ten minutes; He knew better than that after the close calls they had with the Gestapo. And if Aerith was sick? That was totally out of the question.

When Axel came to the bread, he took a loaf and tore it in half as accurately as possible before tossing it in the box and folding the flaps of the box so they overlapped one another.

"Here," Axel shoved the box into Leon's arms, looking him right in the eye with a look of seriousness. "My advice would be to be more careful. Times are hard right now, and it's dangerous to leave kids at home alone. That alone would be enough to have the police take your brother away from you and lock you up."

"I don't need you to tell me how to run my life." Leon replied bitterly as he tucked the box under his arm. "You have no idea what my life is like."

"I could say the same thing to you." Axel said as he pointed towards the door. "Now get out."

* * *

_**Was that game of Are You Nervous originally supposed to be there? No….I was just writing and it just sorta happened.**_

_**Did I like it enough to keep it anyway…? Pssh, duh. Besides, it lead into the next part quite nicely, I think.**_

_**I'm pretty sure a lot of people have been waiting to find out about Axel's decent into the concentration camp…hehe…. I actually love writing about Axel's past, it's probably my favorite part of writing this whole fic.**_

_**(*) This is an offensive German gesture (one of my German exchange friends at my boarding school told me about it) that could possibly be equivalent to the English middle finger. If a person taps their forehead with their index finger in another person's general direction, it's like calling them an idiot and can actually get you in trouble if you do it to a policeman.**_


	22. Welcome to Atlanta

Things were starting to get a little crowded at the food bank. It was starting to catch on that volunteers would receive two care packages at the end of the day, so the amount of volunteers started to increase. When Axel first started working at the bank, he went every day, but once he saw the significant amount of food that he was getting as a result, he started going only three times a week. Though having a surplus of food at the end of the day was a nice thing, he knew that he and Aerith couldn't possibly eat enough of it without some of it spoiling. The packages were packed for the average family of four or five, so just going three days a week was enough to have some leftovers at the end of each meal. He would also set aside some of the money he got from Mrs. Guntram to buy salt to preserve the meat that came in the care packages so the meat would last a little over two weeks instead of only one. Axel wouldn't have minded to continue working at the bank every day just for the sake of helping out, but he knew that there were others out there that probably needed the volunteer spot as much or maybe even more than he did.

About two months passed before Axel saw Leon again. The temperature was significantly warmer, so Axel was in better spirits. The only thing he didn't like about that day was that he was assigned to work at the counter. It wasn't that Axel didn't like to communicate with the people coming in for packages, but sometimes it was just too depressing. Some of the people that came in were worse off than he was, and it was just painful to look at their heartbroken, stricken faces. They all wished for the war to end, for a solution, for hope, for something to break this never-ending cycle of poverty and sadness.

Axel barely even recognized his existence when he came up to the counter, having fallen into the continuous rut of taking the stamps and handing over a package in a blank state of indifference after two hours that when he heard the brunette's voice, it was almost like snapping out of a trance. Not in a good sort of way, though.

"Here." That was all Leon said as he laid a couple of food stamps down on the counter before Axel, who was still lost in his daze until he happened to glance up at the brunette standing at the counter, and scowled." You don't look to happy to see me." Leon stated at Axel's scowl.

"Actually, I was sitting here thinking about how I woke up this morning and told myself that I would never be happy until I got to see your ugly face again." Axel bent down to pick up a box from one of the bins beside him as he spoke, stuffing the stamps into a bag that was lying in his lap.

"I'm glad I could make your dreams come true." Leon gave a snide chuckle.

"My hero." Axel rolled his eyes before he pushed a package over the counter towards Leon. "I think I'll name my firstborn child after you. Dickface, isn't it?" Leon snatched the package into his hands and attempted to make a comeback, but Axel shooed him away. "Go on, you're holding up the line. There are others less fortunate than you that actually need our help."

"What makes you think I don't need as much help as anyone else here?"

"I said move it." Axel's voice had become spiteful as he glared at Leon. Leon was obviously angered by Axel's harsh lack of sympathy by the nasty scowl on his scarred face, turning his back on the redhead and muttering under his breath in Polish as he walked away.

Leon's question stuck with him the rest of his shift. Why didn't he think he needed help? Because he obviously didn't look like he did! Nice ironed jackets and pants, clean hair and decent shoes, just everything about him screamed 'wealthy.' It bothered Axel deeply, like having a bad taste in his mouth. If Leon was wealthy, why come to the food bank to practically flaunt his success in the midst of destitution and deprivation? Was this some kind of sick joke? Leon must have ties with the Gestapo or the German government; it was the only explanation Axel could come up with. Most people in Poland were dirt poor and suffering in the heat of the war, and the only people who could really stand to be financially stable were those that worked with the government.

The irking feeling didn't stop, not even while Axel was walking back home with a care package under each arm, weaving his way through the bustle of the gigantic stretch of people in line for the food bank. He tried to make his way through as quickly as he could, in the event some desperate soul attempted to snatch one of his packages while he was passing through. It had happened to him before, and he didn't want to risk it happening again. It was a Friday, and he wouldn't be able to get his hands on another pair of packages until Tuesday.

After making it past the large crowd, he was able to walk the last three-block stretch with a lighter conscience. But the numb annoyance he still felt about Leon tugged at the corner of his mind like a song he couldn't get out of his head. Why would someone like him need help from someone like Axel? He tried to push his thoughts aside as he walked up the creaking front steps of the apartment complex he had come to call home.

Mrs. Guntram's own apartment was the very first door on the left as soon as he entered the door, and began to struggle with the two packages under each arm, wrestling with them as to find a good position for them so he could knock on the door. After a few minutes of fruitless results, Axel broke down and just settled for kicking the door gently enough that it was similar to that of a simple knock on the door with his hand. As old and unsound as this building was, he could hear the sound of Aerith's excited giggle from the other side of the wooden door and the soft pitter-patter of Mrs. Guntram's small feet shuffling across the hardwood floor that he was pretty sure was in need of some sweeping because he couldn't remember if he had swept the floors yesterday as she made her way to the door. The knob let out a rather unsettling, sharp squeaking noise as she turned the knob and greeted the young redhead with a warm smile on her aged face and an amused chuckle.

"Oh my, this doorknob has gotten a bit vocal." Mrs. Guntram said as she jiggled the knob as to confirm the squeaking noise that they had both just heard, making Axel scowl in repulsion at the noise that resulted from the jiggling.

"Don't worry about that, I can patch that up." Axel assured the woman as he adjusted his hands comfortably under the packages. "Nothing a little oil can't fix."

"Now come in, come in, don't be a stranger!" She said as she took a step back behind the door and ushered him in with an elderly hand. "You can put those boxes in the refrigerator until later this evening, if you'd like."

"Thanks." Axel smiled at Mrs. Guntram's kind offer, welcoming himself into the apartment that, in comparison to Axel's, was a bit larger, but that was due to the fact that she was the landlady. Her apartment consisted of a separate living room that he had just entered into, leading into a small kitchen area that was roughly the same size as Axel's own kitchen, but she had two bedrooms instead of one down a small hallway with one on the left, the other on the right along with a bathroom.

Axel only made it halfway through the living room before he stopped, his smile immediately turning into a frown, his brows furrowing as his green eyes glanced about the room suspiciously.

"Where's Aerith?" Axel asked Mrs. Guntram, who was currently closing the door behind the two of them. This was unusual; Aerith was almost always right at Mrs. Guntram's side or sitting in the living room when he came back, and would drop whatever she was doing to give him a big hug like she always did every time he had to leave her here. The only times she didn't was if she was napping or if she was upset about something. Axel knew she wasn't napping, because he heard her giggling from outside the door.

"She's somewhere back there," Mrs. Guntram replied as she lifted a shaking hand towards the kitchen. "She took off back there once you knocked on the door."

"I see," Axel said thoughtfully as he resumed his trek to the kitchen, walking in and putting the boxes down on the table and began to unpack them. He took out all of the perishable items such as the meat and fruit and put them in one box to place inside the small pukey-green refrigerator that Mrs. Guntram had, placing the rest of the food in the other to sit on the counter until he was ready to head upstairs. During this whole process, Aerith still hadn't shown up. Every once in a while, Axel would glance over his shoulder warily. What was that little girl planning?

He didn't have to wait very long to get his answer. Just as he set the second box on the counter, he saw a quick movement of the kitchen door swinging to a close out of the corner of his eye.

"Raaah!" Axel heard Aerith's familiar squeal coming from beside him as he felt two small arms winding themselves around his long legs.

"I was wondering where my afternoon hug was." Axel laughed as he turned and picked up his eight-year old sister into his arms and squeezed her tightly in a hug, feeling her wrap her legs around his waist for support as she hugged his neck just as tightly, giggling herself into a fit. Aerith was barely tall enough to come to his waist, and he wasn't sure it was because he was very tall or if it was because she was short for her age. Perhaps she had her maternal mother's gene for being on the short side, when Axel's mother had been much taller than his aunt, despite the fact that his aunt was a few years older than his mother. Either way, the technicalities didn't matter very much to him. Cousin, sister, it didn't matter, Aerith was and had always been his responsibility and his entire life.

"Did I scare you?" Aerith asked with giddy excitement as she looked up at her brother with a sheepish grin. Axel chuckled as he knitted his fingers under her rump to keep her supported, holding her as he had done countless times.

"Maybe just a little bit." Axel lied, but only for her amusement. Aerith giggled again, having achieved her goal.

"What's all the commotion in here?" Mrs. Guntram asked as she entered the kitchen to join the pair.

"Aerith's just being silly." Axel replied as he tugged Aerith's legs loose and dropped her back down onto the floor, flipping the girl's single braid as she skittered away towards the hallway to disappear into one of the bedrooms. He watched her for a moment before taking off his coat. "So, what can I do for you today, besides the usual?"

"Hm…" Mrs. Guntram hummed to herself as she walked past Axel, looking as though she had a destination set in mind before stopping abruptly at the doorway that led to the hallway. "I'm almost positive I had something that needed to be…. Oh yes," The elderly woman turned on her heel to face Axel once again. "The light in my bathroom stopped working this morning, and I can't seem to reach the light fixture without standing on a chair…" She sighed as she brushed a few strands of her brown and grey hair from her brow as she chuckled again. "And I'm such a klutz, I'm afraid I'll fall if I try!"

"That's what I'm here for." Axel said as he laid his coat over one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

"And let me tell you, I'm very grateful to have a handyman like you around." Mrs. Guntram smiled, revealing the gap in the front of her teeth where she had one of her front teeth missing. "A friend of mine saw you outside sweeping the steps the other day, and she told me "Loriann, just where did you get a handsome stud like that to clean the house for you, and where can I get one!""

There are times when old people tell stories that make one feel uncomfortable. This was definitely one of them, Axel now knowing some old lady somewhere think he's a 'stud.' As Mrs. Guntram laughed over her own story, Axel just replied with his own soft yet unenthusiastic chuckle. Creepy.

"Axel, I need to pee!" Aerith exclaimed from somewhere in the hallway in a whining tone, interrupting their conversation. Even if Mrs. Guntram had known them for several years now, Axel still couldn't help but feel embarrassed over Aerith's outburst. He made a discontented grunt as he drug his palm down his face in a facepalm.

"Then go to the bathroom, Aerith, you're eight years old. You don't have to tell everyone what you're doing." Axel groaned.

"But the light won't work and it's dark in there!" Aerith complained, her little feet shuffling down the hallway to stand at the doorframe, distraught as she did her signature 'potty dance.' "I don't like the dark, it's scary… please fix it fast, I gotta pee!"

Axel rolled his eyes, a 'for-the-love-of-god' look written on his face as he ran his fingers through his bright red hair. Aerith's fear of the dark was only one of her multiple fears, and the only one that rivaled her fear of 'the red men.' He didn't know what started the fear of the dark, but she wasn't showing any sign of getting over it anytime soon.

"Can you hold it until I switch out the light bulb?" Axel asked as he walked over towards the pantry to retrieve a light bulb from a bin that Mrs. Guntram kept her light bulbs and other small household oddities such as nails, small screwdrivers and other things in the middle shelf of the pantry.

"Uh huh…" Aerith didn't sound so sure of herself.

"Come with me, Aerith," Mrs. Guntram motioned towards the child to follow her. "I can take you to the restroom in one of the empty apartments down the hall." The woman looked to Axel for approval. "If it's all right with your brother, of course." She was very aware of how protective Axel was of Aerith, and though she knew that Axel trusted her, she always courteously asked for his permission for certain things when it came to his little sister.

"As long as she's with you, I don't mind." Axel replied as he started digging through the bin to find another light bulb to replace the broken one. He looked and looked, but there was no extra light bulb in sight. He could hear Mrs. Guntram open the squealing door to lead Aerith outside, and tried to catch her attention before she left.

"Hey-!" Axel tried to call after them, but he was cut off by the door slamming shut behind the two females. Axel grimaced as he looked down at the bin, as if staring at it would make a light bulb magically appear right before his eyes, but he had no such luck. It looked like he was going to have to go to the store to get his landlady some new light bulbs. With a sigh, Axel grabbed the broom from inside the pantry and shut the door, and began sweeping the kitchen floor, having noticed that it was in need of some sweeping.

As he swept the hardwood floors, his mind was absently wandering off elsewhere, his task being carried out in an almost mechanical fashion as his thoughts drifted from place to place, such as wondering if he needed to get some soap or salt when he went to the store, to trying to recall what kind of meat was in the package because he couldn't remember to save his own life. And then came that disgusted, irking feeling again. Though he had only met Leon twice, he had no idea why the brunette irritated him so much. His gall, his audacity, that stupid scar on his face; he was one of those kind of people that made Axel want to gag or groan whenever he saw him, his very presence just grated on his nerves.

After he finished sweeping the kitchen floor and, having not realized he had done the living room floor as well in the midst of his stupor, he went about wiping off the countertops, tables, and other surfaces with a damp wash rag. Not much really needed to be done today, because he had done a very thorough cleaning job the day before. It wasn't until after he finished making Mrs. Guntram's bed that he finally realized that Aerith and Mrs. Guntram hadn't come back from the bathroom yet. Concerned brows scrunched together as he exited the bedroom and went into the kitchen, but no one was there. He peeked into the living room, but no one was there, either. Surely it didn't take this long to go to the bathroom?

_Maybe they went up to my apartment,_ Axel thought as he approached the door, though that thought didn't seem to bring him any relief. He wanted to go and see for himself. He opened the squeaking door, scowling at the sound before he took a step out to go check out his apartment.

"RAHHHHH!" Something suddenly shrieked out of nowhere as soon as he walked out the door, startling him and making him stumble back into the elderly woman's apartment.

"Fuck!" Axel cursed as he stumbled back into the couch that was a few feet away from the door, his heart rate going a mile a minute. There was an explosion of laughter as Mrs. Guntram and Aerith appeared in the doorway, and Axel felt his face grow red with embarrassment.

"We got him!" Aerith giggled in delight beside Mrs. Guntram, who was chuckling as well.

"My, it looks like we did! Look at him with that blush on his face." Mrs. Guntram teased as she ushered the child back into the apartment. Axel swelled up and combed his hair back with his fingertips, trying to play it off.

"Was that really necessary? I was worried." Axel grumbled as he glared down at his little sister.

"I'm sorry dear, but she insisted on surprising you again." Mrs. Guntram replied in her defense. "And you really should do something about that cursing. She could pick up on it, you know."

"You looked so scared! It was funny!" Aerith chimed in.

"Yeah, yeah," Axel remained aloof as he tugged at Aerith's braid gently. "Now you had your fun. Don't do that again, okay?"

"Why?" Aerith asked innocently as she was forced to look up at Axel via the gentle tug on her braid.

"Because I said so."

"But you always say that!"

"Because I'm the adult here." Axel rebutted, mocking her with a childish tone. Aerith pouted, her lower lip sticking out as she narrowed her green eyes at Axel. Axel fought back by giving her an equally over-embellished pout with his lip poking out that made the little girl laugh.

"You're silly." She giggled.

"So are you, Mausi." Axel quickly wrapped an arm around her neck and drew her close, the girl yelping in surprise as he rubbed his knuckles on the top of her head, making her squeal as she tried to escape her older brother's grasp.

* * *

_I wonder if joining the Mile High Club includes masturbating, _Roxas wondered to himself as he exited from one of the airplane's cramped bathroom stalls, letting his index finger casually brush against the front hem of his pants quickly as to confirm that his zipper was zipped up all the way before giving an exasperated sigh. He was embarrassed about what Axel did to him, but then again, he was almost asking for it. Roxas should have seen it coming, knowing how Axel always needed to be right about everything, rarely ever apologizing or admitting that he was wrong. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he tried to think of how he was going to handle the situation as he walked as slowly as he could without looking retarded back to his seat.

He was very upset with Axel for what he did. He felt weird, almost violated. He had never been touched by another guy like that before. It was pretty clear that his body enjoyed the contact, but he didn't think he was ready to wrap his head around the idea of having sex with a guy.

He frowned, almost halfway to his seat, as that same ugly question he had tried so many times to erase from his memory came back with a vengeance. Despite the Preta's efforts to prove to him otherwise, the idea that the Preta was only interested in solely his hair alone was drifting back into his head. It's in his nature to do whatever it takes to get what he needs, or so Roxas has been told. Was any of it real? How could he know for 100 percent sure? The actions that Axel had just preformed were very physical in nature, and it only made Roxas angrier to think that Axel would do that with only Roxas' physical appearance as his motivation.

Roxas was close to scowling as he came back to his first front row, but even if he was, Axel wouldn't have seen it. Roxas saw the Preta slumped on the floor, his long legs propped up on the carry on with his arms folded at his chest, head bowed with his eyes drawn to a close. For a moment, Roxas thought that Axel was napping until he saw the redhead reach up to scratch at his cheek absently in the same area of his purple teardrop tattoos before coiling around his chest again. He must be either trying to take a nap, or he was lost in deep thought.

Roxas managed to slip past Sora with ease, but he couldn't get to his seat without disturbing Axel, and talking to him wasn't something Roxas really wanted to do right then. But, stepping over him wouldn't do very much either, because he was sitting right where Roxas' feet are supposed to sit on the floor. So, he held his tongue and gave a gentle nudge to the redhead's shoulder with his knee. He didn't really acknowledge Roxas at first, but he did after the second, firmer nudge.

"_Was_?" Axel hissed irritably as he opened up his eyes, his linguistic tone sounding a bit off from what Roxas was used to. He had said something that sounded like 'vas,' receiving a confused look from the blonde when Axel looked up at him.

"What did you say?" Roxas muttered in confusion. Realization flashed over Axel's expression, and the tension in his face quickly subsided as he shook his head.

"Nothing, sorry," Axel dismissed with a wave of his hand, scooting over a little to allow Roxas to get back into his seat properly. Roxas stepped over the Preta and sat back down into the uncomfortable tan leather seat, though still mad, his curiosity obviously didn't get the 'Your mad at Axel right now, don't talk to him' memo.

"Were you just speaking German?" Roxas asked, realizing that he had pretty much voiced the question in his head aloud by accident. Axel glanced at Roxas, his thin lips neither frowning nor smiling, but drawn into an indifferent line.

"My thoughts are sometimes a mixture of both English and German," Axel explained with a hidden bitterness that Roxas had to strain to hear. "When you speak two languages fluently, you can shift between the two. You caught me in a German moment." Having answered his question, Axel directed his attention forward, slumping back against the wall and closing his eyes again. Roxas took that as a sign to leave the demon be, but rage over Axel's indifference took over.

"So you aren't even going to try to apologize?" Roxas growled, narrowing his sapphire blue eyes at the male at his feet. "In case you weren't paying attention, you just violated me a few minutes ago."

"Did I?" Axel retorted, not budging from his position. "Looked to me like you wanted it."

"You didn't even ask if I wanted it or not!"

"I asked you if you wanted to play 'Are You Nervous.' You know what playing that game entails, so don't get mad at me. You brought this upon yourself."

"You're such…" Roxas was seething at this point, and it was when Axel finally looked at Roxas, his green eyes piercing through him in a way he had only seen once before, when Roxas had told Axel that he deserved being a Preta for whatever sin he had committed to be this way not too long after they met. That gaze ripped through the veil that surrounded the redhead, making Roxas aware once again of Axel's ghastly features. It was almost like Axel had removed a sheet from over his head to reveal his frail, grisly thin appearance, and it made a cold chill run down is spine.

"A dick, I know. You always call me a dick." Axel said indignantly. "If you want me to be honest, I was going to wait until you calmed down before I apologized so we could avoid an argument. But since you insisted," Axel shifted in his position so his torso was facing the stunned blonde in the seat. "You know what playing that game means, so I thought you were comfortable with anything that could have possibly happened while we were playing it. If you were nervous, you were supposed to tell me so we wouldn't be in this situation right now. And now you have the audacity to accuse me of violating you? I never had the intention to hurt you, Roxas. How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to scare you before you believe me?" Axel's tone had gradually descended from anger to what sounded like hurt, and by the end, his brows that were crinkled together in the beginning were turned upwards, his lips finally morphing into a saddened frown. Roxas had never felt this guilty before. There was a short silence, and Axel's intense, depressing gaze became too much for the blonde to handle. Roxas looked to his lap, his feet shuffling on the floor.

"Do you really think I would shamelessly violate you?" Axel asked, his eyes narrowing venomously. "Sure, it's in my nature as a Preta to take what I want without question, but I do have some self restraint."

"What do you mean 'take what you want'? I thought that only applied to wanting my hair."

"Don't get me wrong, you have no idea how hard it is sometimes to keep myself from practically chewing on your head, but it doesn't just apply to your hair. It's a Preta's nature to be greedy and think about yourself before others, because most of the time there's no one else's feelings to consider." Axel adjusted so he was sitting up on his knees, facing Roxas and sighing softly as the ferocity in the redhead's blazing green eyes died down into flickering cinders. "But I'll admit, I've always had problems with putting my agenda first, so I can't really put the blame on the fact I'm not human. So, I'm sorry for upsetting you and going too far." Roxas could see pure sincerity reflecting in the demon's eyes, but he couldn't take the moment to completely appreciate it. When Roxas' brooding was severed by a grin curling on his lips, Axel thought that it was a smile that accepted his apology, at least until he heard an amused snort slip free. Now it was Axel's turn to be upset. "What? I'm trying to be serious here."

"No no no, I'm sorry," Roxas said, bringing a palm to his mouth to stifle another snicker. "It's just… look at what you're doing right now. You're on your knees right in front of me, and asking for forgiveness. I never ever thought I'd see the day that you'd do something like that." Axel took a moment to reassess the situation, and found himself in a very embarrassing position. His lips drawn tight, he looked away from the blonde as he maneuvered his legs so he was sitting Indian-style instead of on his knees.

"Shut up, my ass was falling asleep." Axel retorted. Roxas leaned over in his chair a little.

"Are you blushing?" Roxas teased, seeing the faintest shade of pink dusting the male's cheeks, still having not met Roxas' gaze.

"No." Axel declared as he whipped his head around sharply, but his faint blush would only deepen as he looked at Roxas' keen smile. Axel narrowed his eyes threateningly at the blonde. "Wipe that little smug look of your face or I'll throw you down and start gnawing on your head." He threatened.

"You wouldn't." Roxas challenged, returning the Preta's intimidating glare with his own, though his big, angelic blue eyes were far from intimidating to Axel.

"You never learn, do you?" Axel's brow perked. Roxas' immediately regretted it; he really should remember not to test Axel, because Axel always takes up a challenge. Before the blonde could protest, he suddenly felt two arms grab his shoulders and pull him forwards. Roxas, fearful that Axel was really about to throw him down on the ground and start going nom-nom on his head, opened his mouth to let out a shout in instinctive reluctance. But just before he was one tug away from falling right out of his chair to make a major faceplant into speckled checkerboard tile, his vision was clouded by a rush of rustling crimson as Axel pressed his lips to Roxas', silencing any sound the blonde was attempting to make. He blinked, needing a moment to register the fact that he was not currently face down on the floor with his brother Sora wondering why his older brother was currently having a random seizure thousands of feet above the ground, but instead had Axel's warm, soft lips on his own for a kiss that lasted for all of about four seconds. When Axel pulled away, Roxas could see that familiar fire, that mischief dancing in his bright green eyes.

"Gotcha." Axel chuckled.

* * *

After another few hours of hushed whispers and quietly listening to music on the iTouch, they finally made it to Atlanta. Axel didn't have as rough of a time getting into a seat when the plane was descending to make a landing, the fear that had been churning violently in his chest having died down into a dull whisper. The plane ride went smoother than he thought, and he didn't think he'd have much of a problem getting on it again to head back to Pennsylvania. But that was only one of several other deeply ingrained insecurities that he had managed to get over.

The first order of business was a potty break for the Grimm brothers. Screw luggage, screw lunch, it was time to take a piss. Axel waited outside the bathroom, his pinky finger shoved into one of his ears to try to get rid of the stuffiness in his head that came from a change of altitude. It was one of the most uncomfortable feelings to him, like as if someone stuffed the inside of his head with cotton or stuffing, impairing his hearing.

Next, it was lunchtime. Roxas and Sora scoped out a Chick-Fil-A and grabbed some sandwiches, eating their meal at the food court while they waited for their Uncle Cid to come and meet them.

"Shouldn't he be here already?" Sora asked as he swallowed a mouthful of his chicken sandwich.

"You know how Uncle Cid is," Roxas said, pausing to take a gulp of his drink, feeling Axel quietly standing over his seat and messing with his hair, his usual lunch routine. "Whenever he says he's coming, add another half hour to it and that's when he'll be here."

"I hope he doesn't take too long," Sora said, glancing around the food court with wary eyes. "I've always heard Atlanta was a dangerous city…what if we get, like, mugged and kidnapped or something?"

"Oh come on, Sora," Roxas rolled his eyes. "We'll be fine, just don't go around throwing up gang signs or something."

"Not like I know any."

"True."

"You remember when we came here to fly to Pennsylvania the first time?" A wide grin spread on the young brunette's face. "When we got stopped at the security counter because they didn't believe Dad when he said that he kept setting off the metal detector because he had screws in his neck from when he broke it four years ago?"

"Hell yeah I do." Roxas laughed. "Dad got ticked and started threatening the security guy and they had to do a strip search. It was really embarrassing back then, but it's kind of funny to look back on it now. Mom tried to remind him to bring the papers he needed to show them he had screws in his neck. But you know how Dad is."

"I think he ignores her sometimes just to make her mad. He's not old enough to have hearing problems."

"It's kinda funny when Mom gets mad, though." Roxas had to bite his tongue to keep from yelping when Axel gave a particularly harsh tug at a lock of his hair at the crown of his head. "She starts jumbling up her words and you can't understand what she's saying."

"She also does this," Sora held his hand up and balled his hand into a fist, his thumb rubbing the side of his index finger quickly and agitatedly. "She like, does this with her hands and her shoulders are all stiff. Have you noticed that?"

"Yeah, I thought I was the only one." Roxas nodded. There was a brief silence that fell over the two as Sora didn't reply, bringing his sandwich back to his mouth to take another bite of it. Roxas had already finished his sandwich and was working on the waffle fries that, in his opinion, were the best part about Chick-Fil-A. He was more of a beef person than chicken. It was a comfortable silence, so Roxas wasn't too concerned about saying much of anything until Sora spoke again.

"Roxas?" Sora spoke his name.

"Mmn?" Roxas grunted through a mouthful of waffle fries.

"How come Mom and Dad didn't come with us?" Sora sounded a little crestfallen as he asked the question. Roxas took a moment to swallow his fries before answering.

"You know why. They couldn't get the week off at their jobs." Roxas replied, wondering if Sora had gotten that memo or not. Cloud was a contractor and Tifa was an elementary school teacher, so it wasn't like they could just up and leave for a week if they wanted to. Their jobs held major priority over everything, especially in this dwindling economy.

"Yeah, but," Sora shrugged a little. "I kinda get the feeling that they didn't want to come."

"What makes you think that?"

"Mom's from New York. You know she didn't really like being in the South all that much. She almost seemed happy that we were moving last summer. Why would she want to come back to some place she didn't want to be? And Dad doesn't really like Uncle Cid, anyway."

"It sounds to me you just answered your own question."

"Ugh, that's not what I meant." Sora shook his head, his brunette locks swishing over his eyes from the movement. He paused to blow upwards on a spike of hair that had fallen in front of his face to get it out of his eyes. "I just feel like there's something they know that they aren't telling."

"You always have these weird hunches." Roxas started to crumble up his foil-lined sandwich bag into a ball to toss it into the paper sack sitting on the table. "Don't worry about it, okay? All that matters is that we get to come back home for a little while. We can go swimming and mud bogging again, just like we always do in the spring. I don't know about you, but I'm excited." Roxas' eyes twinkled a little as he thought about all the things he would finally get to do again while he was here. He could go swimming at the lake by Uncle Cid's Cabin, get the opportunity to catch up with old friends, go to mud bogging/bonfire gigs that he and his friends used to always put together every Spring Break, the opportunities were endless.

"That's because you had a life down here, I didn't." Sora grumbled as he stuffed his hands into his green pullover jacket, which he was fairly certain he would have to take off soon once they travel farther South into humid and gnat-infested South Georgia territory.

"Don't say that, Sora." Roxas said softly, beginning to feel somewhat guilty. "You have friends down here, too."

"Like who?" Sora's brow perked, unenthused. Roxas pursed his lip as he glanced down at the table, feeling a slight tug as he did so from Axel's fingers.

"What about Tidus?" Roxas quickly looked back up at his moping brother.

"He's our cousin, Roxas." Sora stated impassively, giving him the 'are-you-really-serious' sort of look.

"Not by blood!" Roxas countered. "You two were friends since kindergarten. We didn't know he was related to us until we ran into him at our second family reunion. He's Aunt Shera's sister's cousin's son. So he's only our cousin by marriage…"

"Everyone and their grandma are related to us through marriage down here!" Sora exasperated.

"It's a small town, what do you expect?"

"Okay whatever, name someone else besides Tidus. AND they can't be related to us in any way." Sora tested his brother again. Roxas had to think a little harder on that one, but it was a little difficult to, seeing as Axel was now just rubbing the top of his head, massaging his scalp with gloved fingertips. He always did that after he was done scavenging on Roxas' hair, and it took him longer to come up with an answer because the massaging felt really good.

"Evan Bachelor?"

"Moved to Florida last year."

"Aiden Hailey?"

"I stopped speaking to him after he totaled my dirt bike."

"Sydney Thurmond?"

"She's our freakin' cousin too, Roxas!"

"No she's not! Her mom and dad got divorced two years ago, so she's not related to us anymore. It was just by marriage, anyway."

"Just stop." Sora held up a hand to get his older brother to cease this game of back and forth, and sighed as he propped his chin up with his hand, his elbow on the table beneath. "I guess I could hang with Tidus for the week…"

"Do you guys talk anymore?"

"Off and on. Text messages."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well…" Roxas chewed on his lip absently. "You could always just hang with me, I guess." he offered, though he wasn't to excited about the idea of his thirteen year old brother hanging around. Sora only shook his head, his blue eyes fixated elsewhere, signaling the end of the conversation. Roxas leaned back in his chair, very dissatisfied with how it had ended.

"Trouble in paradise?" Axel questioned after a long period of silence, his fingers ceasing their caressing as he looked down at the disgruntled blonde before him. Roxas could only look up at him pleadingly. Axel withdrew his hands from Roxas' head and coiled his arms around the blonde's shoulders, nestling his face into the crook of Roxas' neck. "Don't worry, he'll be fine." Axel assured him, squeezing Roxas' form gently. Roxas leaned his head to the side slightly to lay his cheek upon Axel's, still completely guilt-ridden. There was definitely going to be some brother bonding time some time this week.

Sora and Roxas just stayed at the food court for a while, since they had nowhere to go until their uncle showed up. Axel's head stayed on Roxas' shoulder, pressed up into his neck, feeling the brief moment of the teen's muscles tensing before unwinding into relaxation as he littered his neck and shoulder with soft, chaste kisses every once in a while, usually only one or two at a time. Roxas couldn't seem to figure out why Axel was so touchy-feely all of a sudden, but he honestly couldn't complain. He reveled in the Preta's undying attention. Having Axel's warm body close to his was just calming for some reason, a reason that Roxas' couldn't really explain. The way Axel would lay his face in the crook of his neck just felt right, like his face was made to fit there perfectly. The same would go for whenever Roxas cuddled with Axel, his head fitting perfectly against Axel's chest. This silent state of relaxed affection lasted for about a half hour until Roxas heard a familiar voice in the distance.

"'Eey!" Roxas could recognize that heavy Southern drawl anywhere. Sora must know it well too, because both of their heads whipped to the right in the direction of the voice.

"There he is!" Sora exclaimed as he pointed at a man briskly walking towards them from the airport's entrance. It was Uncle Cid, all right. Roxas could see that he didn't put much effort into his clothing ensemble, like always, his white T-shirt stained in oil and grease from working at the shop at the family farm, green kakis- style pants with brown muddied work boots. He wouldn't have been surprised if Uncle Cid was tracking mud through the airport, like he does everywhere else since he's up to his knees in mud and manure all the time. Complete excitement filled Roxas at the sight of his uncle, reaching up to safely uncoil Axel's arms from around his shoulders before rising to his feet to greet Uncle Cid.

"Ther's ma boys!" Uncle Cid laughed heartily as he came within several yards of the brothers, and Sora made a wild dash to meet Uncle Cid before he reached the table to give the elder blonde a big hug.

"Hey Uncle Cid!" Sora chirped as his uncle patted his shoulders, never having really been the hugging type, and Sora promptly pulled away with a huge smile plastered on his face.

"'God damn, boy, you got tall'r since ya left. And what're you doin' with a sweater on? It's hot as Hades outside." Uncle Cid placed his big, calloused hand on top of the brunette's head, his skin forever stained from working with grease and oil for hours on end during the day for many years.

"It's cold back at home, and I'm just kinda used to wearing it."

"Hey." Roxas greeted his uncle as he approached the pair, Axel not too far behind him, Cid's attention being directed to the eldest of the two and gave a crooked grin.

"Well I'll be, look at'cha, all decked out in them city clothes." He was referring to the light-wash jeans Roxas was wearing, along with a clean grey and blue striped polo. Roxas blinked and looked down at his clothing, and suddenly became aware of the fact that he was wearing a polo. Damn early morning carelessness.

"Honestly, I didn't realize I was wearing this until you said something about it." Roxas admitted guiltily. This made Axel chuckle as he slid up beside Roxas, invisible to all else.

"I done told ya I'munna beat the Yankee outta you two, and that's what I'munna do." Uncle Cid laughed. "That shirt'll be covered in grease an' dove guts before ya know it."

"Doves?" Sora questioned, his eyes growing wide. "Are you having another dove supper at the Cabin?"

"Yep, Wednesday night, to be exact."

"Awesome!" Sora punched his fist into the air. Roxas only sulked.

"Not awesome." Roxas huffed.

"Huh?" Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing. "How is that not awesome? It's a dove supper, Roxas! At the Cabin! With the lake and rope swing, the four-wheeler trails, and all that other cool stuff!"

"You aren't the one stuck with dove gutting duty." Roxas pointed to himself, still not too happy. "I always get stuck plucking them and gutting them while you just sit around and play with the severed dove's heads and do nothing. We're talking over 100 doves here, Sora. Not awesome."

_He plays with severed dove heads?_ Axel turned up his nose, repulsed by this new information. He wanted to added something along the lines of 'this kid has no life,' but judging by the conversation he had silently listened to a while ago, that wouldn't have been the best choice of words.

"Let's quit with the whinin' and groanin' an' get a move on," Uncle Cid said as he motioned to the door. "Yer Aunt Shera's waitin' in the truck with Jasper, and you know things get purdy hot down 'ere real quick."

"You brought Jasper?" Sora said with excitement.

"Yep, and he ain't no puppy no more."

"Whoa, whoa, hold the phone." Axel interrupted, though his blonde prey beside him could only hear his interruption. The sound of Axel's hesitant voice caught Roxas' attention, stealing a side-glance to see Axel suddenly not looking to excited. Axel could feel Roxas' eyes on him, and looked down at Roxas with worried eyes. "What does he mean by 'ain't no puppy no more'?"

"You mean Jasper, your Blue Heeler dog?" Roxas asked his uncle, though he already knew the answer, it was his way of answering Axel's own question.

"You remember Jasper, Roxas. Hell, yer the one who picked 'im outta Scarlet's litter ta keep." Uncle Cid replied skeptically.

"A dog." Axel verified Jasper's species like a five-year-old making pointless observations. "In the car."

Roxas gave a brisk nod to his uncle, though it had a double meaning for Axel. It was then that Roxas realized that Axel had another fear, which was of dogs. Uh oh.

"Oh no, nuh uh, fuck this. I'm _not _getting in a car that has a dog in it." Axel threw his hands up and walked away from the happy family reunion in the airport. Roxas' watched Axel walk away, clueless as to how to handle the situation. It's not like the dog could stay here at the airport to make an invisible entity comfortable. Axel wasn't going to have any of it. He almost shit a brick on the airplane this morning at takeoff. He had enough heart attacks for one day.

"Hold on, I have to go to the bathroom again before we leave, okay?" Roxas sputtered out to his uncle and brother before quickly following after the ticked off Preta.

"Hurry up!" Sora groaned, calling after his older brother, who wasn't giving him much thought. "I wanna go see Jasper!"

* * *

**_A/N: Remember, there's a method to my madness…the thing about Axel's past doesn't end at this chapter. There'll be more to come in the next. But you know what? I might get shot for this, but I actually liked writing Axel and Aerith's sibling fluffery more than I did the Akuroku fluff in this chapter. Weird._**

**_Reviews are cherished._**


	23. He Thinks My Tractor's Sexy

_**A/N: I'm so evil...**_

* * *

_"When the Great Depression struck the United States in the early 1900's, it was faced with both widespread poverty and prejudice. The Irish immigrants were the most affected by this…"_

_Roxas was in his American History class, sitting among his fellow classmates and jotting down the words that spilled from the faceless man at the front of the room, a blue dry erase marker in hand as he lectured the class. Roxas happened to look up and notice that everyone else around him was faceless, bald, just like that of the teacher in the front, but he paid no mind to it; strangely, it felt normal. They had no mouths, yet he could hear the teacher's commanding voice and the soft utterance between friend and classmate._

_He wondered if he looked like them, if he was faceless too. He reached up, brushing his fingertips across where the bridge of his nose was supposed to be…no, he actually did have a face, then tracing the length of his nose with his finger down to his upper lip to confirm this oddity. He then brought his hand to the top of his head to see if he had hair, and he did – but his hand came to rest on top of someone else's hand in his hair._

_Roxas wasn't aware someone was touching his hair, but when he felt fabric instead of skin, when he felt those long fingers massage his scalp, he knew who it was. He turned his head, and sure enough, he found himself sitting in Axel's lap, the Preta looking at him with that grin, that sneer, his eyes flickering with green fire. Eyes… he had a face too. _

_"Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1933, and he had a tremendous weight on his shoulders. With the nation in the middle of an economic crisis, he had to come up with a solution…"_

_Wordlessly, Roxas returned to his notes, feeling Axel threading his fingers soothingly through his hair all the while. Roxas felt serene, his mind open to drink up the information and secrets of history while the warm body behind him did as it had always done for almost two months now._

_After a while, Roxas felt an itch on his back, in between his shoulder blades. It was mild at first, so Roxas ignored it. As time progressed, it grew increasingly stronger, his hands wanting desperately to relieve himself of the itch._

_"Can you scratch my back?" Roxas asked the demon, turning his head to look at Axel over his shoulder. Odd, he had just openly spoken to Axel in the middle of class without any thought of secrecy. He looked at the faceless body across from him, but the person didn't budge, turn their head, or anything that gave Roxas the impression that he had been heard. If they couldn't hear, then that was okay. He could talk to Axel now._

_Axel obediently drew his hands away from Roxas' head and began to scratch his back, almost instantly nailing the accursed spot on the first try. Roxas felt nails against his clothed backside – when did Axel take his gloves off? Oh well, it didn't really matter, because Axel's firm touch upon that spot felt heavenly. He scratched, scratched, and scratched, making Roxas' spine tingle with satisfaction that made him crack a small smile. But just as Axel drew his hands away, he felt it again, but this time it was right in the middle of his back. Roxas growled in annoyance._

_"A little lower…?" Roxas said softly, not wanting to draw any attention despite his suspicion that the other faceless classmates couldn't hear him. Axel complied once again, and that delightful sensation that tickled the nerves in his back returned, making Roxas hum with pleasure. Something in the back of Roxas' mind told him that this feeling was familiar, but he couldn't put a finger on a name for it. Axel's hand ceased once more, and the blonde let out a frustrated groan as the itch viciously returned on his lower back._

_"One more time, please?" Roxas looked over his shoulder apologetically at Axel, but the redhead only gave a shrug and went to relieve him one last time. Those fingers brushed against the small of his back, and Roxas suddenly felt nervous. Maybe he shouldn't have asked Axel to do that again, at least not when his fingernails were mere inches away from his tender spot. His nervousness was drowned out by the screams of that soft, tickling sensation once again, his skin twitching in anticipation beneath his shirt due to Axel's fingers being so close from that spot. His scratching upon that itch felt so nice…_

_Then something happened. That itch that had been upon the flesh of his back seemed to seep into his pores, leaving the surface of his skin and finding it's way inside of him. It traveled through his body before settling into the lower part of his stomach, but it no longer itched; instead, it felt warm. It was a warm, tense feeling, like a spring inside of him was being compressed. Roxas shifted anxiously in Axel's lap, trying to somehow relieve himself, but it only made the warmth travel downwards, tickling and trailing down into his groin. Roxas looked down and suddenly remembered that familiar feeling he couldn't remember a few moments ago. He was hard._

_Upon realizing this, he shivered. It itched, it burned, and it was uncomfortable. He needed something to salve over it. Axel's hands had never stopped scratching his back, those once seemingly harmless pangs of pleasure now only adding fuel to this fire. Yet, Roxas couldn't find the willpower to pull away._

_"He developed many programs to help rebuild the nation, the most notable being the Social Security system… Is there something troubling you, Mr. Grimm?"_

_Roxas' eyes widened as he heard his last name being addressed, glancing up to see that his faceless teacher had come to stand right in front of his desk. His cheeks flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and a sense of deep yearning, and craned his neck to look at the blank male's face. How surprised he was when he discovered that, now, his teacher now had a face; A very familiar face, to be exact. Long, spiky red hair that framed his triangular face like a halo, teasing jade colored eyes…._

_"...A-Axel?" Roxas managed to squeak. Axel wasn't dressed in his normal black clothing, but in the clothing that the faceless teacher had been wearing, a collared shirt and nice looking kakis… but If Axel was in front of him…then who was behind him, still stroking and scratching his back…?_

_"Is there a problem?" The newly arrived Axel asked, his tone flat and uncaring, like that of a usual teacher unamused by inattentiveness._

_"Uh…" Roxas didn't know what to say. Slowly, warily, the blonde peeked over his shoulder to see whose lap he was sitting in. Axel was still there, too, in his black Preta apparel, just grinning away like nothing had happened. He sputtered his words, confused and shocked, until he felt familiar digits curl on his chin and draw his gaze away from the Axel behind him to the Axel standing in front of him, his scholarly demeanor fizzling away with the lust reflecting in his eyes._

_"I see…" Axel mused, those eyes tearing away from Roxas' to travel down is body. It was almost like that gaze was Axel's own hands sliding down with the same lustful intensity on the side of his neck, drifting to his chest, his navel, lower…_

_The warmth inside Roxas ruptured as Axel's eyes were practically undressing him, and the itch came back with a vengeance that Roxas could no longer bear. He needed something to scratch this itch! He didn't even recognize the whimper that escaped his lips, a whimper of desperation as his eyes squeezed shut. It was like the plane ride all over again...but it just felt so good…like how Axel- the Preta one, he thinks- was scratching his back…_

_He almost didn't notice those imaginary hands being replaced with real ones, real ones that slid down his pelvic area and had Roxas' pants unbuttoned and unzipped in one fluid motion. The denim of his jeans was pulled away, but Roxas didn't object, he just couldn't find the strength to. It needed to be scratched…he needed Axel to scratch it so badly…_

_Roxas' aroused sex practically sprung from the hole in his boxers, eager to be tended to by lips that Roxas couldn't see due to the obstruction of the top of his desk. What he could see was a pair of hands that belonged to the Axel behind him slide around his waist, those fingers lifting his shirt to slip beneath the fabric and driving Roxas mad as they sneaked their ways upwards, thumbs barely brushing against his nipples. A small voice screamed for it to stop, but his own voice wasn't working. His willpower to even try to resist was cracking, splitting at the seams and threatening to shatter. It was all so new, so overpowering, and so wonderful._

_He could feel hot breath against the head of his shaft, and Roxas nearly fainted. Axel was everywhere, beneath him, behind him, his hands on his chest with thumbs flicking over his nipples, hands on his thighs, the pads of his fingers stroking so slowly…and it was just. So. Good_.

* * *

***Week 6, Day 38, Saturday***

***Ten Days Remaining***

"I done came in here once, boy, now git up!" A deep voice with a thick Southern drawl bellowed loudly, making Roxas awaken with a jolt. He barely had any time to recover before he felt a rough hand clench his ankle and yank it with so much strength and force that Roxas found himself being dragged out of the bed. The startled blonde let out a shriek as he fell to the floor.

"Roxas?" Another voice, which he immediately recognized as Axel's accompanied with the squeal of the mattress as he sat up quickly, called after him with concern as his ass hit the floor roughly. Roxas opened his sleepy blue eyes wide to his attacker, whom loomed above him with his arms crossed at his chest and a frown on his chapped lips.

"What the hell? !" Roxas snarled from the floor at his uncle, his inner morning monster breaking free from its cage. Thank god the light was off, because if his uncle had turned it on, he would have melted like the witch from the Wizard of Oz.

"I came in here fifteen minutes ago ta wake you up, and you jus' layin' in the bed like a lump on a log." Uncle Cid scowled. "I know you got issues with gettin' up in the morning early, but I need yer help outside 'fore the storm comes this aft'rnoon. Now get up and get ready ta work and don' let me catch you in that bed again 'till your done."

Roxas groaned as he struggled to his feet, his ass sore and hurting like hell as he stood up, his uncle already out the door before Roxas could say anything else. He felt his boxers wedged in between his lower cheeks from the violent drag across the bed, and went to adjust his problem roughly. He instantly regretted doing that when the thin fabric caught on his morning wood, pulling at it painfully.

"What's his problem?" Roxas heard Axel ask in a sleepy tone from behind him, the sound of his voice making him jump a little. In a matter of seconds, Roxas' steamy dream came rushing back to him, and his face immediately turned red.

"Uh...ugh, I dunno." Roxas felt so torn. He was pissed off about being woken up so rudely at…freakin' eight o' clock in the morning, according to the clock on the wall in front of him in one of Uncle Cid's guest bedrooms. He was also in an obvious state of arousal, and extremely embarrassed because he couldn't turn around to look at Axel without the Preta seeing the bulge in his boxers.

"Forget him," Axel said, and Roxas heard the mattress squeak as the redhead plopped back down on his back. "Come back to bed~"

"I can't." He tried to come up with a solution to this situation. His suitcase was in the corner of the room…behind the bed, behind where Axel was laying. That meant grabbing a pair of pants to block his front wasn't an option.

"Why not?" Axel pouted.

_Because you'd either make fun of me, jump me, or hump me. Preferably the latter…? Wait, what the hell am I thinking? ! No, no humping! You don't even know if you want that yet or not! _"I just can't, okay?"

"Just a few more minutes…it's too damn early to get up on a Saturday."

"I…gotta go to the bathroom." Roxas made a dash for the open bedroom door. Axel lifted his head to get a glimpse that cute, boxer-clad ass of the blonde before he disappeared into the hallway. Thoughts lingered on Roxas' rump for a few seconds before the Preta groaned and turned over towards the wall, covering his head with the hunter green comforter.

"Hmph. Fine then." Axel moped to no one in particular as he buried his spiky head into the darkness beneath the comforter. "No hickey for you."

Roxas didn't dare try to fix his problem as he entered the bathroom across the hall, closing the door loudly behind him and hoping that Axel wouldn't decide to be annoying and follow him into the bathroom. He knew there were other people in the house, and it would be really embarrassing if he made any noise if he tried to fill in the gap of his open-ended dream. Roxas shuttered as he thought about that brush of hot breath he had felt from the redhead between his legs just before he was yanked out of the bed, those hands wandering on his chest…

_Fuck, no, stop it! Stop it now! _Roxas reprimanded himself. _You can't fix this. Everyone will hear you. Axel, get the fuck out of my head for just a minute… think of gross things, yeah, like…um…dead puppies…dead puppies? Really? Never mind… how about… squash? Kim Kardashian's vagina? Dr. Vexen? _Roxas was almost surprised at how fast his erection flopped over, completely disinterested and disgusted at the thought of his Chemistry teacher. If his penis could talk, it would have been very pissed at him right then._ Well, that did it._

Roxas returned to his room to find Axel curled up under the comforter, the only thing visible being the redhead's exposed shoulder blades that were marred and rough looking and the back of his head. Ever since Axel had shown Roxas his scars, he seemed a little more comfortable about coming to rest without his coat on, even if Axel insisted that he kept it within an arm length's reach in the event he needed to use the elemental power the enchanted coat gave him on a whim. Roxas didn't mind it, in fact, he liked that Axel was finally starting to show some progress in his quest to open up to Roxas. The nice sensation of feeling Axel's warm and exposed skin against his cheek when he slept was… just a little bonus.

He decided against stirring the Preta, and quickly got dressed in a pair of dark brown shorts that were permanently stained with paint, oil, and other unwashable stains and an equally stained T-shirt that displayed the John Deere logo on the back. These were his work clothes, the clothes that he wore whenever he worked on the family farm. He hadn't worn them in what seemed like decades, but as he slipped them on, he couldn't help but feel more at ease. He was back in his Southern home element, at last.

The next twenty minutes were a bit of a blur. He vaguely remembered Sora coming in with his own set of work clothes, also unhappy about waking up early, and the pair went to eat breakfast. Aunt Shera greeted them with a smile and a kind "Good morning" before presenting them both with a plate of hot, homemade biscuits and gravy, with a few strips of bacon on the side. Time seemed to stop when Roxas took a bite of the gravy drenched biscuits, his eternal love for homemade cooking showing its gratitude with a longing groan of satisfaction.

Uncle Cid joined them shortly, sitting down at the table with his own plate and coffee as Aunt Shera began to clean the kitchen. There was some conversation between his uncle and Sora, but Roxas wasn't paying much attention, because he was literally ready to make love to these biscuits if they asked him very nicely.

Just as he was finishing his last piece of bacon, Roxas saw a scarlet colored fuzz ball enter the kitchen, Axel's eyes heavy with fatigue. When Roxas gave him a small smile, Axel's expression brightened a little, and instead of making any sort of movement or sound of good morning, he made a beeline for Roxas' head. And here he thought Axel was happy to see him, not his messy blonde hair_. Fuck you. I've got my biscuits._

* * *

Axel despised labor. He used to not mind it at all, since he worked at a food bank and played housekeeper for several years, but his time at the concentration camp quickly changed his mind.

But that didn't mean that he didn't like watching someone else work. Roxas, specifically.

The farm was located in Montgomery County of South Georgia. Vidalia was just as Roxas had mentioned, a very small town with a town square of shops, a restaurant or two here and there, several churches, and a primary, middle, and high school. Besides that, the rest of the county was farmland, to which Uncle Cid ran the Grimm family farm for a living. They had beef cows used for slaughter, but they sent cows away to be slaughtered elsewhere and would be sent the meat in return. They didn't have dairy cows, because Uncle Cid had gotten out of the dairy business a long time ago, according to Roxas' rundown of his family situation he had given the redhead the night before. His main source of income was selling dirt. Mulch, manure, limestone, decorative rocks, gravel - anything dirty, Cid Grimm sold it. They also sold top quality hay.

The farm was large, the brick single story house that Uncle Cid and Aunt Shera lived in being in the front, with a large shed used for working on broken trucks and a small white house that served as an office space for the farm's business behind the brick house. Beyond that, from what Axel could see while he was perched on the shingled rooftop, he could see a small, secluded body of water that Roxas and family called the Lagoon, which is where they dumped their oil and other farm waste. The logic behind that was beyond Axel's comprehension. There were several large sheds that held the different soils, grains, rocks, and large circular hay bails as well.

He wasn't too happy to find out that Uncle Cid loved dogs. So much, in fact, that he had four of them, all Australian Cattle Dogs (they were called Heelers here in the South,) three Blue Heelers and one Red Heeler, an uncommon color, but pretty; Not that Axel appreciated it. Luckily, they were strictly outside dogs, so the Preta decided he would stick to the roof whenever he was in close proximity of the house.

Axel's attention was strictly on his blonde prey in the field right beside the house, stretching out for maybe ten acres. Roxas was working out there in a John Deere tractor with some sort of raking machinery attached to the back of the tractor that would rake up the rows of flat, dried hay that had been cut maybe a day or two ago into neat fluffy rows to be bailed. The annoyingly green machinery made all kinds of loud and obnoxious noises as Roxas worked the gears of the tractor like a professional, his brow already sweating from the heat of the morning that was quickly beginning to intensify.

Axel looked around on the ground to make sure there weren't any dogs nearby, and portaled himself into one of the crape myrtle trees outlining the side of the field that Roxas was working on so he could get a better look. He silently watched Roxas chug on by in the tractor, admiring the determination that he could see in his blue eyes as he shifted gears to adjust the speed, along with the speed of the rakes that spun in a circular motion. His bangs were beginning to stick to his forehead, his neck and arms glistening with a thin layer of sweat, watching as his tongue would dart out every so often to wet his dry lips.

Somehow, Axel found that watching Roxas mastering the tractor like this was incredibly sexy. Why? It just was. When is a tan, hardworking Southern boy _not_ sexy? It was in his genes, and Axel could see it now more than ever before. It was almost like a cheesy romance novel about a gorgeous hired hand working on a farm for the summer. He was just glad Roxas was a sexy farmer and not one of those redneck hicks like is uncle was. Roxas' faint Southern accent was cute, but Cid's thick accent was like nails on a chalkboard. It made Axel shiver with disgust just thinking about it.

He sighed as the tractor drove by a third time, his view of his hard-working Roxy being snatched away once again as the tractor drove out of his sight. There was nothing for him to do around here, and he was getting bored fast. The Preta finally decided to take a catnap just for the sake of passing the time, leaning back into the trunk of the tree and settling his forehead against a branch that hung right beside his head, his eyes drifting to a close as he listened to the songs of birds in the trees and the rumbling of distant tractor engines. It was very relaxing, and Axel could see why Roxas loved it down here so much. Then, just as he was about to drift away to fantasize about a sexy tractor driving Roxas…

"Howdy, stranger!" A female voice twittered out of nowhere, making Axel's eyes open wide in surprise. His shoulders became tense as he spotted the source of the voice sitting right in front of him, legs straddling the branch that Axel was sitting on. He knew right away she was a Preta from her black clothing. She looked to be about Roxas' age, maybe a few years older, with short black hair that reminded him vaguely of Xion, but twinkling violet eyes proved that this wasn't some sort of hallucination of the deceased clay doll. She also had a black headband tied around her head that made her look like a wannabe ninja. She was smiling, but Axel's Preta instincts were taking precedence over any thought he may have had of her being harmless.

"…Hi." Axel's brow quirked as he gave a blunt greeting. He was trying to read her. Was she competition? Or worse, was she apart of The Organization?

"I haven't seen you around these parts before." The female Preta stated in a quirky Southern accent as she tilted her head slightly in confusion at this bright, red haired stranger. "New around here?" She was met with silence and a skeptical look. "Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't introduce myself!" she exclaimed, pausing to clear her throat before smiling even wider. She must have a big mouth or something. "I'm Yuffie. Yuffie Hayes, if you're one of those formal kinds of folks. How about you, hothead? You've got a name, right?"

"Axel."

"Axel?" Yuffie repeated the name and giggled. "That's a pretty weird name, but I think it suits you. If you don't mind me saying that you do look a little strange. You've got such bright red hair! And those tattoos! Those are pretty wicked! Where'd you get them?"

"Do you always talk this much?" Axel questioned, having the strangest suspicion that he may have discovered Demyx's long lost sister. Yuffie's high energy level dropped off a bit at Axel's question, the girl leaning backing off as she chuckled nervously.

"Hehe…here's the thing. I'm not really that old, just thirty years, really, and I've pretty much stayed here in this town all this time, so I don't get to see other Pretas like me very often. Most of them are just passing through, and the few I do know are really nasty so to see a new face is kind of exciting for me." There was a youthful ignorance in her eyes that made the bristled hairs on the back of Axel's neck relax and drop his territorial instincts.

"Before you say anything else, I have to ask, what is it that you feed on?" Axel asked, wanting to be sure this high-strung girl was absolutely 100% no threat.

"Hay!" Yuffie replied almost too enthusiastically, but then her eyes grew cold and her voice dropped so fast that it caught Axel by surprise. "What, you don't eat it too, do you? 'Cause if you do, this is mine-" She gestured over her shoulder to the freshly cut field behind her. "This whole farm is mine, and if you even think you can get your grubby hands on my hay I'll kill you."

"Retract the claws, Ms. Kitty." Axel chuckled. "I don't eat hay. I eat sexy Southern boys tending to hay fields."

"Really?" Yuffie gasped, believing Axel's bluff. Axel rolled his eyes at her gullibility.

"No. I eat the hair off of them." Axel's gaze drifted over his shoulder to the green tractor in the distance. "Right now, the hair off of that one, specifically." Yuffie looked over her shoulder to see what Axel was looking at, and had to squint really hard to see whom it was he was talking about.

"Oh! You mean Roxas?"

"You know him?" Axel blinked. Yuffie nodded her head very quickly.

"Mhm. I've been living around this farm for about twenty years, so I've watched him grow up since he was a little baby. Such a cute little kid. Very sweet, too."

"I see." That made sense.

"You aren't hurting him or anything, are you?" Yuffie's brows turned upwards in concern.

"No, not at all." Axel assured her. "He's actually the one making me stick around. I don't know how it is for you, seeing how plentiful the hay is around here, but when my hunger desires a specific person's hair, I can't leave them alone until they give me all of their hair. Roxas is holding out on me, that little prick." Axel grinned. "Not that I'm complaining."

"Good." Yuffie's expression relaxed as she hiked one of her legs over the branch to sit sidesaddle on it. "I guess it makes me feel better to know at least someone like me is watching over him since he left…you did follow him here from Pennsylvania, didn't you?" Axel only nodded, intrigued to know what Yuffie meant by 'watching over him.' He didn't bother asking, because he was pretty sure Yuffie would tell him anyway. Her legs were dangling, swinging as she spoke again. "You can sympathize with me when I say that I don't have anything else to do but just eat, eat, and eat. It's a boring life, and I hate it." Yuffie giggled nostalgically. "I've always been a sucker for babies, so when I saw Roxas for the first time, barely a year old and walking on those wobbly legs in the yard, I was smitten. When I was alive, I always wanted to have a kid when I got older, but obviously that didn't work out too well.

I kinda started looking after him whenever he was here at the farm. He'd be here just playing in the yard with one of Cid's assorted dogs or sitting in the shop, greasy from head to toe, banging on a piece of metal with a hammer and believing with all his little heart that he was accomplishing something.

There was this one time when he was eight and he was 'helping' Cid tag the beef cattle. Cid told him to stay behind the fence and just watch this first time, but Roxas got bored and snuck to the side of the fence and grabbed one of the electric cattle prods sitting in his uncle's truck and climbed under the fence to try to help his uncle by leading the roaming cattle in the bigger field into the small area where Cid was tagging them. Long story short, I kept him from getting his face smashed by a flying cow hoof when it reared up after he shocked one of them with the prod."

"What a dumb kid." Axel laughed. Yuffie might be very useful after all. He could dig up some embarrassing dirt on his little blondie and see that cute, swelled up face of his.

"Boys will be boys." Yuffie giggled with him. "You were a kid once, too."

"I know, but I don't think I was that stupid." Yuffie's slender brow perked skeptically.

"Come on, now."

"I'm serious."

"Deeeeeenialll~"

"You're annoying, you know that?"

"And you're boring."

"If I'm so boring, why are you still talking to me?"

"Dunno." Yuffie shrugged. "You're different. Not like many other Pretas I've met before."

"That's because I'm awesome."

"I think I just saw your head get a little bigger." Axel had half the mind to reply with 'Which one?', but he figured that sort of reply would be more appropriate if those words had come from Roxas' mouth instead of Yuffie's. Axel only replied with a chuckle, because he was straining his hearing. He couldn't hear the tractor's motor anymore. That must have meant Roxas was finished. As refreshing as Yuffie's company may have been, he liked the idea of drooling over Roxas at a closer range better. The redhead cleared his throat as a silence fell between the two Pretas, signaling his preparation for departure.

"I believe I have somewhere I need to be." Axel said. "But it was nice to meet you, Yuffie."

"Aw, leaving so soon?" Yuffie mockingly pouted for a split second before smiling with the widest smile he had seen on her face yet. Goddamn, it took of almost the entire bottom half of her face. "Mmkay, I won't get in your way. I'll see you around though, right?"

"I'll be here until Friday."

"Cool!" Yuffie waved as she bid him farewell. "See ya soon!" Steadying herself with her gloved hands placed firmly on the branch, Yuffie gave her legs one last good swing before she jumped off, her body captured in a swirling portal just before she hit the ground, disappearing from Axel's sight.

* * *

After finishing up everything else he had to do in Mrs. Guntram's apartment, Axel's kind landlady gave him a handful of cash to go to the general store to pick up some light bulbs and oil. Another ten minutes after that wasted away as Aerith tried to locate her faded pink jacket that was light enough for the warmer weather, but still kept her safe from the chilly wind. Then the two siblings were off.

The store Mrs. Guntram had told him to go to was convenient, only two blocks away, a small brick building that seemed to be wedged in between two larger buildings, one of them vacant while the other was another apartment complex. Axel never realized this building was a store – he always went to one that was a little farther off than this one. He made a mental note to come to this store next time he needed to go out for something.

An old, rusty bell above the doorway chimed pitifully as Axel and Aerith came inside, now allowing Aerith the freedom to roam without holding his hand. The store was small, having only about six isles worth of goods.

"Can I go look at the dolls over there?" Aerith asked her brother as she pointed to the third isle of the tiny store where only two shelves of dolls could be found, the rest of the space being used by dried foods and kitchen appliances.

"Yes, but don't ask me about buying one," Axel said softly but firmly. "This is Mrs. Guntram's money, not ours."

"Okay!" Aerith sped off towards the dolls like the little girl she was. Axel sighed with amusement and shook his head as he walked across the creaky, dusty floors to the first isle to start looking for the light bulbs that he was searching for. The first time he had weaved his way through all of the six isles and came up with nothing, he chalked it up to his negligence and made another run through them, eyes scanning carefully over everything. The fourth time is when he began to get frustrated.

_Who the heck stocks these isles,_ Axel growled in his head as he passed by his little sister oogling over the dolls a fourth time. The layout of the goods was completely crazy. The bathroom necessities were put on the same isle as the fabric and tools, everything was just completely unorganized. He happened to find the oil he needed behind a jug of detergent, but he still couldn't find those light bulbs. Axel decided to ask someone, either another shopper or an employee, but after looking around, he came to find that they were the only customers inside, the last one having walked out without buying anything shortly after they arrived. He then scoped out the register at the front, but no one was there, either. Axel was not pleased.

"This is totally ridiculous." Axel muttered under his breath as he forcefully shoved all of the small boxes of nails he had gathered in his arms in his search for light bulbs behind other items. "How can Mrs. Guntram stand to come here? Fuck convenience, I want to be able to know where shit is when I want it."

"Need some help, asshole?"

The remaining four boxes of nails in Axel's arms went crashing to the floor, bursting open and littering the dusty floor with nails at his feet. The box that was in his hand suddenly became slippery and slipped clumsily between his fingers, but was spared a less messy fate as it fell onto the shelf with a _thunk_. Axel cringed, both from the loud noise that the falling boxes of nails made and from the dread that rose in his chest. Looking over his shoulder, emerald green eyes met mild blue.

"You're gonna pay for those, you know." Leon spoke in a commanding tone, both hands buried into the pockets of his dark gray slacks. "That's gonna be three złote* for all of them."

"You own this piece of crap you call a store?" Axel bent down to start gathering up the nails that he was now going to have to pay for and started putting them back in the opened boxes.

"Yes, I do. You got a problem with that?"

"I should have guessed as much. You must stock in the dark for them to be so disorganized like this."

"You better stop talking to me like that or I'll kick you out of my store so fast it'll make your head spin. We're not at the food bank. You're in no position to talk down to me anymore, because you're on my turf. Now pay up." The brunette held out a waiting hand, his index and middle fingers making a 'come hither' motion.

"Whatever…" Axel picked up the newly closed boxes and shoved them back on the shelf and withdrew he wad of cash from his pocket, feeling the atmosphere around the two of them growing thicker thumbed through the currency. "All I got are Reichsmarks**." He stated, though he didn't think that wouldn't make much of a difference. He converted the exchange rate between the German and Polish currency in his head before handing over two notes to the brunette. "Here, take it."

"I don't accept Reichsmarks here." Leon said flatly. "So either pay up in złote or get out of my store."

"I don't have any złote." Axel hissed. "Why won't you take these? Pretty much everything around here takes both, so what's the problem?"

"The problem is that you're in Poland, and if you're going to live here then you should to have the right type of money. I'm not going to run to the nearest bank and go through the whole currency exchange process every day like the rest of those moronic merchants that roll over on their backs and take German money because it's inconvenient for the Nazis to use our banknote." Axel gritted his teeth as his hatred for Leon was growing by the second. Why was he being so difficult over something so stupid? The German and Polish money were both used equally here in Poland, and this was the first time that Axel ever had a problem with someone refusing to take Reichsmarks. The same hate that swelled within him was being projected right back at him through Leon's cold eyes.

_He's doing this on purpose to piss me off, _Axel thought to himself. He gripped the money in his hand as he balled it into a fist, fighting back the tremendous desire to punch this man in the face like he had done several months ago. All he wanted when he came in here was some light bulbs and oil, but no, Leon just had to own this store because the gods of irony deemed it so.

The infuriated redhead was about to start yelling at him about how absurd this situation was entirely until he saw Aerith come around the corner past Leon's shoulder. When he glanced to the little girl, he could see that she looked frightened, clinging to one of the lacy dolls that she held protectively in her arms and slinking back behind the isle. She must have seen the anger, the tension in her brother's eyes, a seething hate that she had never seen before, and it terrified her.

"Okay," Axel took a deep breath as he rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, trying to calm down for Aerith's sake. "Listen buddy, I really don't want to start any trouble. I just want to get what I came here for and leave without making a scene. My little sister's here with me, and the last thing I want her to see is me getting into a fistfight with a stranger." He pointed briefly at Leon and then at himself. "You don't like me, I don't like you. I get that. But can we just cut the crap and be civilized for just a few minutes for my sister's sake?"

"You mean that little girl in here is your sister?" Leon asked, completely off topic, a hint of surprise in his voice. "So that's why your panties got in a wad when I said I left my brother at home, huh?" Axel heard a door open and close somewhere nearby, but it wasn't the front door because there were no chimes. He paid no mind to it and jumped right back into the conversation.

"At least I know how to be a decent parent, unlike you."

"I'm getting really tired of you judging me when you don't even know me. Since when did you become the fucking expert on being a parent? I never asked you for your input on how I take care of my family."

"Axel…" Hurried feet dashed from the opposite isle to the isle the two men were going at it, the timid Aerith saying her brother's name nervously as she came up behind him and curled an arm around his leg tightly. Axel threw a potent glare Leon's way as his silent, resentful reply that said all he wanted to say before he twisted his torso around awkwardly to try to look at the troubled girl behind him.

"What is it, Mausi?" Axel asked as kindly as he possibly could when he was being forced from a tense argument into a situation that called for him to be soothing and comforting in two seconds flat. She buried her face into the back of his thigh, as if she was seeking protection from something.

"Wait!" An unfamiliar voice called out from somewhere near by, from behind the isle that Aerith had just been browsing for the past few minutes. Axel looked at the isle right in front of him, like he had some kind of x-ray vision would be granted to him to see who the voice was coming from. Axel heard the floor creak violently and something thumping against the floor as whoever it was rounded the isle to reveal themselves.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" the voice belonged to a spiky black-haired little boy that looked around the age of ten, his face stricken with apologetic sadness that was soley directed at Aerith, though she couldn't see it due to her face being hidden in Axel's pant's leg. Axel's eyes zeroed in on the boy's most prominent and noticable feature, which was the fact that his right side was propped up by a wooden walking stick that was serving him as a crutch tucked under his armpit. Curious eyes traveled downward to discover that the boy was lame. His right foot was deformed with his toes curled inwards painfully, the leg significantly smaller and frail looking than his healthy left leg.

"What did you do, Zack?" Leon asked sternly as he stepped beside Axel to avert his angry gaze to the boy at the end of the isle. Axel looked from the boy to Leon, and then back to the boy. Was this his little brother that he had mentioned before?

"I didn't do anything, honest!" Zack replied defensively as he wobbled forward a few steps towards Leon. "I came down here looking for you because I didn't know where you went. I saw that little girl and asked her if she was lost 'cause it didn't look like she was here with anybody, then she got all scared and ran away from me." Zack sighed as he adjusted the crutch under his arm to fit more comfortably, the stick making his shoulders feel sore.

"Don't take it personally, kid." Axel interjected in Aerith'd defense as he tugged his leg away from the girl to have the leg space to turn around, Aerith responding by standing right beside him and laid her head on his side, hands clinging to his coat. She looked at Zack with confusion reflecting in her eyes. "She's really shy, and doesn't like strangers very much." He ended his statement by placing a palm on the top of her head reassuringly.

"Don't talk to me like I'm four." Zack growled. "She ran away because of my leg, I'm not stupid."

"Zack." Leon's tone was low and threatening. "You know better than to talk to a customer like that." Axel was expecting him to add something like 'even if he is a prick.'

"It's true." The boy grumbled under his breath, receiving another death glare from Leon, silently daring him to try that again. Zack was unwilling to meet anyone's gaze and became interested in a box of screws on the shelf.

"So this is your little brother, the one you threw me up against a wall for." Axel hummed thoughtfully, a grin cracking in the corner of his mouth. Leon stared down at Zack for several moments longer before answering.

"Unfortunately." Leon said, resulting in a hateful glare from the boy at Leon's joke. The elder brunette flicked Zack in the forehead and then looked down to Aerith, who tensed up and tried to huddle as close to Axel as humanly possible upon getting another stranger's attention. "What's her name?"

"Aerith." Axel answered as his thumb petted the top of her head reassuringly, unable to tell what Leon was thinking as he stared down at her.

"I'll be right back." Leon left Zack, Aerith, and Axel alone in that isle as he went away, his intention and destination unknown. The minute or two that followed Leon's departure was the very definition of 'awkward turtle,' the only sounds being that of the creaking floor as Leon bustled about elsewhere in the store. When Leon finally returned, he was holding something behind his back. Axel watched, still lost and confused, as the other male knelt down in front of Aerith slowly, meeting at her eye level.

"Listen, Aerith," Leon spoke in such a calm and reassuring tone that Axel thought he was hearing things. "I'm sorry that Zack scared you. I'd like to make it up to you by giving you something special." Leon pulled his arm from around his back, his hand clutched into a fist that still shielded this 'gift' from view. "It's the only one I have left in stock, and I want you to have it – free of charge," Leon glanced up at Axel briefly at the 'free of charge' and then back at Aerith. "Okay?"

Aerith nodded slowly, eyeing Leon's hand carefully. Fingers uncurled, revealing a pink ribbon that had a white sticker holding the garment together in a crisp figure-8 fashion. The little girl gaped, her face lighting up with hopeful excitement.

"A hair ribbon…?" Aerith breathed. Leon nodded as he peeled the white sticker off of the rosy pink ribbon, the strip uncurling in his hand, ready to be tied in a specific little girl's hair. Axel couldn't believe what he was seeing. Leon, the same man who had practically jumped him two months ago, the man whom he thought was nothing but a selfish, careless adversary, was showing Aerith the same kindness that he himself showed her as her brother and guardian. The gentleness he was witnessing right then was absolutely mind blowing, shattering the image he had built of Leon in his head entirely.

"May I?" Leon was talking to Axel again, but the redhead could only nod like a dunce in reply. Aerith's tight grip on Axel's coat loosened as she gingerly took a step forward, still keeping one hand in a light grip of Axel's coat as Leon wove his arms behind the girl and tied the ribbon in her hair carefully. After he finished, Aerith's hand drifted upwards to brush her fingers against the ribbon, confirming it's existence. Leon leaned over to grab a conveniently placed mirror off of one of the shelves and held it up for Aerith to see her reflection, the top of her head crowned with a pretty pink bow that matched her clothing. Aerith's face brightened as she smiled widely.

"Like it?" Leon chuckled.

"Yes! It's so pretty…" She dismissed the mirror by looking at Leon, a blush creeping over her cheeks as she went back to cling to Axel's side, overcome with bashfulness. "Thank you."

"Hear that, Zack?" Leon turned his head to eye his brother, who was still put out over what had happened a few minutes ago. "She's polite. You could learn a thing or two from her, it might do you some good."

"Pssh…" Zack rolled his eyes, uninterested. Leon shook his head and pushed himself up to his feet, his brow perking at Axel's shocked expression.

"Are you going to keep standing there gaping like a fish? Because you look mentally challenged." Axel blinked, snapping out of his daze.

"I wasn't gaping." Axel countered as he locked eyes with mild blue. "I'm just… surprised."

"Surprised at what? That even I can be a nice person when I want to be?" Leon tilted his chin upward, looking down at Axel. "I'm a human being too, you know. Just goes to show you can't be right about everyone you judge."

"Fine," Axel held up his hands in defeat. "You win. I'm a thoughtless judgmental bastard. That good enough for you?"

"Hm…" Leon tapped his chin. "I think so. Consider the nails paid for."

"Seriously?" The store owner nodded. Axel grinned, an unspoken truce having been established. "Now then, to answer your question from earlier – Yes, I do need your help. Where the heck do you keep the light bulbs?"

* * *

**_A/N: I likie teh Yuffie. :3_**

**_Review, please, and feel free to tell me how much you hate Cid for ruining the moment. I hate him right now for that too. *glares.* I'm so close to my lemonylemonylemon... *pouts.* Someone write the next couple chapters for me so I can write my first lemon of many to come in this story, dammit!_**

**_Kenny Chesney's 'She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy' inspired me. XD_**

**_(*)Złoty- Polish currency. One US dollar is equal to roughly three złote._**

**_(**)Reichsmarks- Old German currency that replaced inflationary currency between 1919-23. It was used by Nazi Germany, and countries that were conquered by Nazi Germany or allied with it were sometimes required to use Reichsmarks. Exchanging native currency for Reichsmarks was often an unfair deal because the exchange rate was set to give Germans some of the profit. During World War 2, it lost 80% of its value. It was replaced by the Deutsche Mark in 1948, and then was replaced once again in 2002 by the Euro. One Reichsmark is equal to two złote._**


	24. You Make Me Smile

***Week 6, Day 39, Sunday***

***Nine Days Remaining***

Roxas was moping.

Uncle Cid had kept him busy all Saturday and Sunday working in the fields. He and Sora had barely managed to bail and wrap up all of the hay before to afternoon thunderstorm rolled in, and even when they found themselves locked in the house due to erratic lighting and a fierce rain shower, Aunt Shera had kindly asked the boys to help her around the house. He didn't realize that meant cleaning it from top to bottom with his own spit - Not literally, but it was a very meticulous process. Sunday morning and afternoon, Uncle Cid woke him up again at the butt-crack of dawn to go out and fertilize the field that had just been cut the day before.

All of this meant that Roxas had very little time to spend with Axel. The teen thought that Axel would have been upset about it, but the Preta was surprisingly patient- if patience meant that he was more than happy to oogle over Roxas from a distance. He honestly couldn't see why driving a tractor around could make him any more attractive, but then again, Axel was just plain weird sometimes.

So Sunday evening, Roxas finally found himself being unbothered by family members, with Uncle Cid and Aunt Shera winding down their day in the den of the house while Sora was out like a light, exhausted from working so much. Roxas had a little more tolerance for labor than Sora did, but he felt equally as tired. But instead of going to bed, he opted for joining Axel on the rooftop to watch the sun set, just like they had done at the clock tower back home several times before. It was going smoothly, with Roxas nestled into Axel's lap as the Preta sat Indian-style, leaning back into his chest and feeling it rise and fall as the demon breathed softly. Everything was just fine and dandy… Until, once again, Uncle Cid ruined the moment. He must have 'Roxas is enjoying himself'-radar or something.

His uncle had come outside at some point, needing to go out to the office to get the daily newspaper he had left behind. Roxas hadn't heard him come outside because he was slowly drifting in and out of consciousness in Axel's arms, making Axel laugh at how cute it was to see Roxas' head slowly fall forward as he started nodding off, only to jolt back up moments later. Roxas didn't want to fall asleep yet because he wanted to finish watching the sun set with Axel. He didn't get the chance to, because Uncle Cid started yelling at him when he finally saw Roxas sitting 'by himself' on the roof and demanded to know how he got up there.

Luckily, Roxas was able to pin the blame on an oak tree in the yard, whose tallest branches extended over the roof of the house. Thank the stars that Roxas was a bona fide tree climber both in his childhood and in the present, or his uncle wouldn't have believed that he climbed up the tree that high.

So that's why Roxas was now currently in the same guest room that he had slept in the past two nights, the thick hunter green comforter shielding him from the outside world, curled up on his side as he pouted about how a nice, sweet moment with his best friend had been ruined. His moping around was interrupted when he felt someone plant their butt right on top of his side.

"Axel, get off of me." Roxas growled from beneath the covers, trying to wriggle out from under the demon.

"How'd you know it was me? For all you knew, it could have been Sora." Axel stated matter of factly.

"You have a really boney butt and it's about to crush my rib cage, that's why."

"So you _have_ been looking at my ass." Axel twittered as he rolled his hips a little, making Roxas cry out in slight pain as he was pressed into the mattress awkwardly with more pressure.

"Get off!"

"Admit that you've been looking at my ass, then I'll get off." Roxas's arms flailed about as he tried to wrap his fingers around the comforter, finally becoming successful and tearing the comforter away from his face, bunching up right where Axel was sitting on him. The Preta waved at him with his fingers as he smiled innocently. "Good morning, Sunshine."

"Last time you said that, I punched you in the face."

"That fucking hurt, just so you know." Axel's hand went to rub his cheek, seeming to reminisce about that morning that seemed so long ago. But could Axel really blame him? Roxas barely knew him a week and here the Preta was, laying on top of him and _petting him while he slept_. Talk about a real creeper.

"Yeah, well, I'm debating on whether or not I should do it again." This position of being pinned down on his side was starting to get painful.

"I'm not going anywhere until you say you've been looking at my sexy rear end." Axel bounced on top of Roxas, resulting in another uncomfortable squeal. The blonde's hands went flying in an attempt to slap him, but Axel easily caught his wrists and held them firmly in his grasp. "Say it!"

"Fine! You have a nice ass! Now get off, you're gonna crush me!"

"Why thank you." Axel purred as he flopped over beside Roxas, satisfied with the compliment despite the fact it was forced. He chuckled when Roxas stuck out his tongue and dove under the comforter, doing his best to tuck the thick fabric under him as much as possible to keep Axel out. He poked the green lump, and it hissed at him.

"Go away."

"No." Axel tugged at the comforter.

"Mine." Was all Roxas said as he gathered more of it under him as much as possible. Axel sprawled out over the blonde, wrapping his arms and curling one of his legs around him.

"Mine." Axel mimicked him. Roxas didn't reply, but he didn't try to push Axel away, either. The two lie there in this weird position for several minutes before Roxas was forced to poke his head out from under the covers, gasping a little for air. He had only taken three decent breaths of fresh air until Axel's lips were pressed to his eagerly. Roxas was forced to pull away for the sake of needing more oxygen.

"You look like a turtle." Axel teased as he bumped his forehead lightly against Roxas', seeing the blonde's flushed face. It must have been hot under all of that thick cotton, because Axel could feel faint traces of the beginning of perspiration on Roxas' forehead.

"Mhn." Roxas grunted as he nestled into Axel's odd embrace, shrugging the comforter down off of his shoulders before pecking Axel's lips again. They both smiled after that, just looking at each other silently for a little bit, listening to the sound of each other breathing. Slowly, Axel's arm uncurled from around Roxas, his palm coming to cup Roxas' face with his gloved thumb stroking his cheek.

"Axel?" Roxas uttered softly after a minute of this soft petting.

"Yes?"

"Could you, uh…" Axel could almost feel Roxas' cheeks get warmer under his hand as his lovely blue eyes looked down timidly.

"Do you want me to stop?" Axel asked, his thumb's motions coming to a halt.

"No," He sounded a little sad when Axel stopped. "I just…want to feel your hand on my face, not your gloves…" Axel smiled again and tilted his head to kiss Roxas' forehead.

"You're too cute sometimes." Axel's words bounced off of Roxas' skin as his lips drew away, his hand coming away from Roxas' face as well and started to pull off the gloves. It took a minute, but Axel was finally able to free his hands of the garments before flicking them over his shoulder carelessly. Roxas' eyes slid shut as Axel's bare hand returned to his face, the warmth of his palm on his face and the soft strokes of his thumb bringing him to a whole new level of relaxation. He silently wished for it to never stop, being completely content with the idea of staying right here in the bed with Axel as he touched his face so pleasantly for a while.

Axel marveled at Roxas' peaceful face until he couldn't take it anymore and leaned in to place an innocent kiss on those sweet-tasting lips. Roxas instantly melted into the kiss, his lips responding by tilting his head to the side to give it a little more depth. Axel kept it soft and sweet until he pulled away after a few moments, jade glancing over that face one more time before coming in for another round, this time with a quickened, wanting pace. Roxas' arms struggled to get free from their prison, wrapping around Axel's neck after getting them unstuck from under the comforter to match Axel's pace.

The hand that had been on Roxa's face moved to bring Roxas into his embrace again, Axel hugging the blonde as close to him as he could. As round three came, the pace had become slow once again, but this time it was much deeper. As Roxas' tongue dared to brush against the Preta's lower lip, Axel became aware of mound of comforter that was wedged in between him and Roxas and came to the conclusion that it definitely had to go. The Preta let his tongue brush against Roxas' that was still asking for entry for only a second until Axel pulled away and went about solving their problem by pulling at the covers until he could successfully slide under them and deposited himself on top of the blonde. When Axel looked down into Roxas' eyes, he could see that Roxas wasn't looking to sure of himself, as if he was having second thoughts about the situation they had gotten into.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked as he tilted his head to the side, but his gaze lingered on those luscious lips that belonged to the object of his current obsession and affection, his taste buds buzzing with the tang of Roxas' tongue.

"What are we doing?" Roxas whispered his reply, a blush creeping onto his features.

"Looks to me like we're about to do some serious snogging."

"I can see that," Roxas rolled his eyes, feeling stupid for walking right into that one. "I mean…we really shouldn't."

"Why?" Axel stuck out his lower lip. "I want Roxy time."

"And I…er…want Axel time too, but what if my aunt or uncle hears us? Or…me?" Axel laughed devilishly, making Roxas huff irritably, his cheeks swelling.

"I forgot that you're really vocal." Axel murmured as he nuzzled his cheek against Roxas'. "C'mon, we can be quiet. They won't hear anything."

"But Axel-"

"Please? I've been waiting _forever_."

"Bull. It's only been like two days."

"So?"

"I really don't want to get yelled at again…"

"You won't, I promise." Axel held up two fingers proudly. "Scouts honor." This made Roxas laugh, but his range of laughter was heavily burdened with Axel laying on top of him, so he was reduced to a coughing fit.

"Scouts honor…my ass. You were…never a boy scout." Meekly smiling, Axel rolled his shoulders. So what if he made himself look stupid? He got to hear Roxas' sweet sounding laugh, and see that glimmer of mirth in those deep blue waters in his eyes that he liked so much. With only nine days on the clock, he wanted to hear it as much as he possibly could.

"At least I made you laugh."

"C'mere." Roxas beckoned him as he curled an arm around Axel's neck, their faces touching as they both smiled and chuckled together softly, exchanging brief kisses with one another in between their gaps of soft laughter. After they settled down, Roxas finally relented, but on the promise that they were as quiet as possible. After an equally amusing pinky-promise, lips connected once more, and soon mouths opened and tongues were ready to please.

It had been a while since they had tasted each other like this, so they were both very eager as they explored each other's mouths passionately. Roxas couldn't understand how Axel's naked hands could make him react with more enthusiasm than when they were gloved as one slipped behind his neck, keeping Roxas' head entrapped by him. Roxas wanted to touch Axel's hair, to weave his fingers among those fiery red locks and massage his scalp as Axel had done for him countless times. It was a weird fascination, like how Axel was fascinated with his ordinary, unoriginal blonde hair. Not that Roxas wanted to eat Axel's hair like the Preta wanted to eat his, but Axel's hair was just so _red_, so _wild_, and despite it's spiky gravity defying appearance, it was so _soft_ to the touch.

Roxas had that same dream again about being in his classroom last night, about to be taken by two Axels, but it had been interrupted by Uncle Cid (shocker) once again before it got any farther. The itch that he felt in his dreams was nothing like the itch he was feeling right now. It was almost like the dream was training him, slowly conditioning him to desire Axel to touch him, to satisfy his need that only he could quench.

A shaky groan managed to slip free from the teen amongst the soft wet noises of their tongues colliding and quiet mewls of pleasure when Axel captured his tongue and began to suck upon it, making the Preta murmur his own hum of pleasure at the noise. The itch was growing fast in the pit of Roxas' stomach when Axel's other hand slid down Roxas' chest, lingering at the lower hem of his shirt to wait for the right time to slip under the fabric. When Axel believed that Roxas was prepared, he finally delved beneath his shirt to explore that contrast pale chest that he had only fantasized about touching. Roxas almost gasped, pulling his tongue out from between Axel's teeth and biting down on his lip to surpress it. Sure, the Axel in his dream had touched his chest like this, but the tremors he had felt in result were far more intense now that it was actually real. His fingers were so warm, almost feverish, making his significantly cooler skin twitch as the digits glided over his stomach.

Axel smirked as he watched Roxas' reaction, his very neglected drive starting to take over his senses, but this time he was able to keep some control over it. The face Roxas was making, biting his lip and his eyes squeezed shut, his blush bright and inching it's color to take over his face entirely was enough to make him want to tear Roxas' clothes off. It almost surprised him now, because usually the first thing that instinctively registers in Axel's mind when he looks at Roxas was his hair, even if it was for just a moment. But now, Roxas' hair or how delicious it tasted was the last thing on his mind. That had never happened before.

"Ah…!" Roxas squeaked as Axel dived down to start mouthing the base of his neck, completely skipping over his usual ravishing of his neck entirely. Anxiety briefly flashed across his face, worried that Axel was going to cross the line. Axel could feel Roxas' muscles tense beneath him, so he back off some to merely littering the spot with tender kisses as his hand rested on Roxas sternum, his fingers stroking and rubbing reassuringly. He didn't want to frighten Roxas like he had done on the airplane – he actually wanted to make Roxas feel good instead of trying to force nervousness out of him because of a game.

"I can stop if you want." Axel whispered, a soothing purr lingering in his voice.

"I…uh…" Roxas' breaths were starting to grow shallow, almost into a pant. He couldn't think logically with Axel so close to him, touching him, kissing him like this. He opened his eyes into slits to see green eyes looking down at him, gentle and concerned. God, why did Axel have to look at him like that…?

"I won't try to force you or scare you like I did last time." Axel reassured him as he placed a kiss on the teen's nose. "I promise. But if you don't want to, we can just stop and go to sleep."

"Well…. um…w-what do you want to do?"

"It doesn't matter what I want to do. I'm asking _you_." Roxas could feel Axel's hand starting to slide down his chest to slip out from under his shirt. Not yet, his itch was still there…!

"No!" Roxas blurted out, making Axel freeze and blink in surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"Just…" Roxas sighed, trying to comprehend why it was that he had said no, but his thoughts were buzzing around in his head like angry honeybees and he couldn't think straight. He was still jumpy about being this intimate with another guy, but now this new and yearning sensation he had developed was practically begging him to continue, desperate for relief. Axel could see the confusion in Roxas' eyes and laid his head atop of Roxas', pecking his cheek with a feather soft touch.

"Relax, Roxas…I know it feels weird the first time with another guy like this. I was nervous, too." He could tell Roxas was confused, and he knew all too well how that felt. His first taste of affection with another male left him confused and hopelessly lost as well, so he felt nothing but sympathy for the teen.

"R-Really?" Roxas could feel some of his anxiety shirking away with Axel's words.

"Yeah." Axel kissed his cheek one more time. "It gets better after the first time. But I don't want to make you think that just because I'm okay with doing this that you should go along with it just to make me happy." The Preta moved away from him to sit upright, supported on his knees right over Roxas' stomach and looking down at him.

"Okay…but…I don't really wanna stop just yet." Roxas muttered sheepishly. Axel pursed his lip for a moment as he debated whether or not to grant Roxas' request or to take the safe road and just stop right where they were. Axel couldn't guarantee how long he could restrain himself.

"How about this. Let's just keep it above the belt for tonight, but anything else is fair game."

"Like…taking our shirts off...?"

"If that's what you want." Axel shrugged. "We'll just take things one step at a time. And if you ever get too nervous, just tell me and we'll stop, no questions asked." Axel's small brow quirked as the corner of his mouth curled into a smile. "All right?"

Roxas chewed on his lip thoughtfully, mulling over Axel's proposition. Maybe he was right; if they did take things slow, he wouldn't be so scared of being intimate with Axel and his mind could find the courage to allow Axel to do something about this itch of his. With a small nod, Axel leaned back down and kissed Roxas deeply, his hands framing the boy's face as the tension died down between them both and tongues came back to have another rendezvous. This time, Roxas felt more confident, though only by a small margin. He was now assured that Axel wouldn't surprise him like he had done by rubbing that tender spot on his back when they were on the plane. Maybe that would come later.

After a few more minutes of making out, Axel pulled away slowly, a tiny dibble of spit connecting their lips for several seconds before breaking apart as they looked down at each other, both of them beginning to pant softly. His fingers danced down Roxa's chest as he kept eye contact, making sure that there was no unsure apprehension inside those deep blue pools that mesmerized him.

"Okay?" Axel placed his fingers along the hem of Roxas' shirt, signaling for the garment to come off. Roxas swallowed thickly and nodded, propping himself up with his elbows while Axel pulled the shirt over his head and tossed it to the side. Roxas blushed when Axel's eyes took in the sight, hands drifting across his chest and stomach as the demon smiled. It was a small, sweet smile, no hint of lust or want hinted within its genuineness. He had seen Roxas without a shirt on several times, but it was totally different to see it now up close and personal, the skin right at his fingertips. He was still staring when he felt Roxas' hand on his wrist.

"Your turn." Roxas said, and Axel could hear the faintest trace of teasing in his voice.

"Heh, you really can't be in such a rush to see my ugly old chest." Axel chuckled.

"Axel." The blonde said flatly, narrowing his eyes. "I don't care about your scars. They don't change how I see you or how I feel about you."

"Sure, now you're going to say they're pretty." Axel rolled his eyes a little.

"Just hush and take your coat off." Of course it would be like Axel to find some way to frustrate him at a time like this.

"Oooh, is that a command?"

"Yes." The two males locked eyes and stared at each other intently, starting a staring contest. It lasted for all of ten seconds before Axel smiled and gave a chuckle.

"Yes, master." Axel chided in mock submission, making Roxas blush again as he was addressed as 'master' while Axel worked the zipper of his coat. He peeled the form-fitting fabric away and bundled it up over his arm and set it right beside them, in arm's reach as always. He was still settling it beside them when he felt Roxas' hands on his chest, and Axel decided to throw caution to the wind and direct his attention back to the younger teen tracing one of the scars going along one of his pecks and connected their lips again, pushing Roxas back down to lay back on the bed.

Roxas almost gave a low moan as their bare chests touched, electrifying every one of his nerves in a rush that was stronger than the taste of Axel's tongue massaging against his own. When they slept at night, Roxas always wore a T-shirt, but now he was considering going to bed without one from now on. Axel's thin but warm body enveloped him like an electric blanket on a cold winter evening, and Roxas felt like he was on Cloud Nine. Their hands explored each other's chests enthusiastically, taking in every dent and curve of every scar, every shallow crevice of muscle. The high that Roxas was experiencing was powerful enough that it brought him into a state of arousal, but he was much too busy hearing the pleasured noises Axel made when the blonde traced the Preta's nipples to notice, first the left that was reduced to a small nub due to an unknown injury that left it permanently maimed, and then the right simultaneously as he mimicked the motions that the Axel in his dreams had used on him.

When Roxas squeezed them gently, Axel tore his lips away from Roxas' and began to trail greedy wet kisses down the teen's chest. Every kiss left Roxas hotter, hotter, driving him crazy as he whimpered in pleasure, still trying to stay as quiet as he could because of the risk of his aunt or uncle hearing him. Sora was a heavy sleeper, so he wasn't concerned about him. Roxas' hands to cradled Axel's head in his arms, and the Preta sealed his lips over one of Roxas' own perky pink nipples, nipping and licking while he rolled the pad of his thumb over the other.

"Mnnn…" Roxas moaned as quietly as possible, his back arching against the bed as he drowned in this unknown pleasure, which only heightened when he felt his erection press up into Axel's stomach. Axel felt it, and it definitely threw him for a loop. He wanted to believe that Roxas really wanted it just then, but he knew that the blonde was merely lost in his own desire to come to terms with what was actually best for him. Ignoring his own shaft that had become harder due to Roxas' ministrations, he licked a trail back up Roxas' sternum, along his collar bone, up his neck, and gave one last wet and sloppy kiss as his hands traced Roxas' side to satisfy his need for now.

"I think that's enough for now." Axel murmured huskily as their tongues uncurled and pulled away from one another. Roxas made a noise of whining disappointment, tugging at the Preta's spiky locks.

"Axel…" The sexy slur of his name that tumbled out of Roxas' mouth would have brought Axel to his knees had he been standing. He had to bite his tongue to resist the temptation to give in.

"Hush," Axel said as he placed as he placed two fingers over the boy's mouth. Roxas' eyes slowly opened, confusion shining through a heavy haze glossing his eyes, making Axel grin wickedly. "You're gonna make me lose it talking like that."

"Sorry…" Roxas muffled apologetically behind two long fingers.

"It's okay. I don't want us to get carried away." The Preta slid off of Roxas to sit beside him. "You okay?"

"Mhm," Roxas replied as he moved to sit up beside Axel, coy and flustered all at the same time. "Just…you know."

"Yeah, I do." There was a hint behind Axel's words, and Roxas knew it.

"Sorry." Roxas apologized bashfully once again.

"What are you sorry for? Heh, I can't say it isn't your fault," Axel curled his palm around Roxas' and brought his hand to his face, kissing the top of his knuckles. "But I don't mind. If anything, it's a compliment."

"Then why don't we…?" Roxas' eyes followed the length of his arms to where his hand held Axel's, then finally settling on Axel, who sighed as he met Roxas' gaze.

"Because." Axel's thumb stroked Roxas' hand gently. "I know it's easy to get lost in the heat of the moment when you're doing this the first time, and even though you may think you really want it now, there's a chance you'll wake up the next morning and regret it. I don't want that to happen to us. We'll take it slow, just like I said earlier, so you can decide when you're ready to take that step and know without a doubt that you wont hate me and yourself afterwards." Axel watched Roxas look down, soaking up his words with a sullen look on his face. For a second, it almost looked like Roxas was going to cry. Concerned, the Preta released his hand and curled his arm around the blonde's shoulders comfortingly. "Hey now, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Roxas whispered, still staring blankly down without any sort of intent behind the stare, then it slowly went upwards to meet Axel's again. "It really makes me feel happy to know you'd think about me and my needs first in this situation. I dunno if it's still hard for you to do that or not, but…Thanks."

"It's nothing." Axel tugged Roxas closer as he tightened his grip around his shoulders, laying his lips among golden spikes. They stayed quiet for a minute or two, their hands still intertwined together until Axel cleared his throat. "Well, I think we both have a problem that needs our attention, don't you think?"

"Where will you go to… do that?" Roxas felt like a preteen in sex-ed class saying the word 'vagina.'

"I can stay here." Axel shrugged. Roxas turned up his nose distastefully.

"I don't want to sleep in sticky sheets, Axel."

"Oh, right, I forgot to mention," Axel smiled innocently, looking up at the ceiling. "Pretas don't ejaculate."

"Huh?" Roxas turned to face Axel, looking at him like the redhead had a hideous growth on his face. Axel laughed nervously as he ruffled his own red hair. "Are you serious or are you just pulling my leg?"

"I'm not kidding." Axel said, still occupying his free hand by rubbing the back of his neck. "Pretas don't have semen or stuff like that because we can't reproduce. We aren't born like humans and animals are, we just kind of 'pop up' out of nowhere. Comes with the whole 'being a ghost spirit poltergeist' thing. Our goal is to repent for our sins, so stuff like sex and friendship is usually on the backburner, if not completely forgotten. If those urges do come, Pretas _can_ masturbate, but there aren't any fluids that help the cause, if you get what I mean. It usually only affects Pretas that have lustful sins to atone for, but it does happen for others sometimes."

"So…does that mean you can't…"

"Orgasm?" Axel finished Roxas' bashful question with a grin. "No, I can, I just don't 'release.' If you ask me, I kinda find it convenient. No mess to clean up. Besides, who the heck would want little Preta Axels like me running around? I'm not _that _cruel to the human race."

"I guess that makes sense…" Roxas couldn't help but laugh at the thought of midget Axels running around and gnawing on people's heads like a bunch of leeches. "I'm still a little lost, though… if you can't reproduce what's the purpose of a sex drive at all?"

"Um…" Axel blinked dumbly, trying to come up with the proper response, but mini Axel was screaming and throwing temper tantrums to get his attention. Sexually frustrated, the Preta just shook his head. "Because it feels good? I don't know, I'll explain it better when I don't have a raging hard on." Axel dismissed, giving Roxas' shoulder a gentle push to push him towards the bathroom where he could relieve himself. "Now go on, because I don't want to sleep in sticky sheets either, sharpshooter."

"Fine, but you're gonna finish telling me about it when I come back." Roxas huffed as he stumbled out of the bed, his mind filled with both desire for Axel and curiosity about the details behind Axel's genetics.

"We're really going to have a conversation about why I can't cum after masturbating?" Axel laughed. "Does it really bother you that much?"

"No, it doesn't. Am I not allowed to be curious?"

"You're way too curious for your own good." Axel shooed him away like a mother whisking off their child towards the school bus. "Go already, you're really cutting into my quality time with my dick. And lemme tell you, he isn't patient."

"Hmph." Roxas stuck his nose up in the air dramatically and walked out of the room, leaving Axel to giggle to himself about how odd their relationship was, and yet, he wouldn't have wanted it any other way. Lights flickered across the hall through the open bedroom door as Roxas entered the bathroom, only do fade back into darkness as he shut the door behind him. The Preta sighed and raised a palm towards the open door, and the white painted wooden door of the bedroom closed under his magic's influence. He might be invisible, but he did have some self-respect as to not pleasure himself openly with the door open.

With Roxas gone, it left the room quiet, the silence acting as fuel for the wheels in Axel's mind to start turning. As he did his best to try to lose himself in the memory of Roxas' intoxicating moans and silky smooth skin, the boy's question still lingered in his mind. If Pretas couldn't produce offspring, then why did they even have genitalia?

It had been years since Axel's last release, so it was very quick, almost so quick that it startled him at its brevity. At the same time, it was enthralling. He wondered why he didn't do it more often, but it was because he hardly had anything to think about while doing it; as a matter of fact, the only reason for doing it the last time was because he was so utterly and absolutely bored that he couldn't find anything else to do but just do it and go to sleep afterwards until something else came along. It was a really sad thing, and Axel still felt a little ashamed about it. All of his memories he had were mostly sad, horrifying, or the material just not suited for the cause, so they didn't help him at all. The few that did… he tried not to think about. But this time, he had Roxas. He only skimmed over the fact that Roxas' sweet, cherubic face looked like a ghost of his past, just immersing himself in Roxas, Roxas, just Roxas alone. Roxas made it easier, more pleasurable, and more real.

As he lay in crisp, clean sheets with a thin layer of perspiration on his brow, he came up with the answer to Roxas' question. Pretas are lonely creatures… they're only supposed to be 'slightly damned,' not eternally tortured like demons from Hell. It would have just been cruel for the forces of the universe to withhold something that would provide Pretas with seconds, only seconds of relief, but also to remind them of what being human feels like. The feeling afterwards was always the same – it was enough to quench the thirst, but not enough to satiate, for that was another drawback to the Preta's sex drive and yet so familiar in their obsessive hunger. But it was the lonely part that stuck to Axel the most.

* * *

Now that Axel looked back, it was almost weird how Aerith just seemed to know things. It was almost like she knew what he was thinking.

A few weeks passed after Leon and Axel came to a truce, and they only saw each other every once in a while whenever Leon came to pick up a care package at the food bank. If Axel were working at the counter, there would be a brief exchange of friendly words before going their separate ways. Axel didn't get to see Leon of he was working in the back, so whenever they did cross paths, Axel would think afterwards that working at the counter wasn't so bad.

Axel never had very many friends in his lifetime, both in his childhood and now his blossoming adult years. The two or three friends he did have lost contact with him after he dropped out of school, and shortly after that he was forced to become a full time parent and worker bee to support himself and his sister. He tried not to think about it very much, but besides his sister, his landlady, and the people at the food bank who didn't use their work time for socializing, he was alone. There were times that it would hit him hard, and he would just sit at the kitchen table with the radio on, his head propped up on his arm on the table, listening to the static or the news reports just for the illusion that he wasn't the only person in the room. It used to bother him greatly, but he had to tell himself that his most important priority was to keep his miniscule family of two safe and financially stable above all else, which meant he rarely had any time to spend doing anything else. It was a stressful, tiring, and lonely lifestyle with few rewards.

So when Leon came kicking and screaming into his life, he felt that loneliness tugging at his heartstrings again. He had the chance to get to know somebody outside the ring of people he saw on a daily basis, someone he could actually spend some time with to kick back and unwind, even if it was only for a few hours at a time- It was his chance to make a friend. But Axel was apprehensive, realizing his years of taking care of others took their toll on his socializing skills. Those days that he would walk by Leon's store on his way to the food bank he would pause, only for a minute or two, and stare at the door as he tried to come up with the guts to go inside just for the sake of being in another person's company. Every time he would just sigh and stuff his hands into his pockets and continue on his way down the street, discouraged. Leon would probably see how much of a loser he was and laugh, anyway.

How convenient it was when the timid, kind-hearted Aerith decided that she wanted to go visit Leon one Friday afternoon. Axel swore she had it in for him.

As the two of them walked down the street towards the store, Axel was having mixed feelings about the visit. He did want to try his hand at foraging a friendship out of their somewhat friendly 'acquaintance-ship,' for lack of a better word. But he also didn't want to put himself in a situation that would get him hurt. When they made it to the door, Axel felt that familiar angst grip him and was about to turn back and walk back home, but Aerith insisted that they visited Leon and Zack, because she thought Zack looked like he needed someone to play with. There was such a gentle heart in that little girl, and it amazed Axel every time. Aerith was truly a blessing in Axel's drab, black and white-colored life.

"Ew, it's you." Was Leon's warm and heartfelt greeting as Axel walked in the door, the bell chiming to signal his arrival to the storeowner that was standing behind the checkout counter, wiping off the wooden surface with a rag.

"Aw, you missed me." Axel snorted in response, making the brunette crack a smile and laugh. So far so good…

"So what brings you here? Need something?" He asked as he started wiping off the counter again. _Crap, crap, not good. What am I supposed to say? _Axel asked himself, keeping his outer exterior as calm and collected as possible while he was freaking out on the inside. _I'll fake like I need something. Yeah, that sounds good. Light bulbs? No, I asked for that last time-_

"Hi." The sound of Aerith's meek voice interrupted Axel's feverish thoughts, glancing down to see her hugging to his side like she had done the last time they had been in the store, smiling and waving to the Leon.

"Oh, I didn't see you down there." Leon greeted the child and leaned over the counter to get a better view of the short little girl, smiling down at her when he saw that the pink hair ribbon he had given her was still in her hair. "I see you still like my gift."

"She wears it all the time." Axel responded when Aerith only giggled and buried her face into Axel's hip. "You got her obsessed. She keeps asking me to get her more ribbons."

"Have you?"

"I got her a black one and a white one," Axel said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But they aren't really the best quality. Can't afford it. Besides, she likes the pink one the best."

"I can change that." Leon tossed the rag into something not visible to Axel behind the counter and stepped out from behind it, beckoning the pair to follow him with his arm as he walked down one of the still very disorganized isles. Aerith curled her fingers around Axel's index and middle fingers and did everything but drag him down the isle to follow. The redhead just couldn't understand what would possess Leon to think it made complete sense to put lampshades beside dried fruit as he scanned the isles over while he was being led to the fabrics and miniature sewing kits which were right beside other food items.

Aerith's eyes lit up like stars as she looked at the different colored ribbons that were placed in bins, folded and bounded in the same fashion the pink ribbon had been bound with white stickers.

"There's so many…" Aerith mused as she reached out with one hand and pulled at one of the bins to peer inside to get a better look at the ribbons inside. There were ribbons of all different kinds of colors, different shades, and a few of them had different styles, their edges trimmed with lace or different designs. Of course the ribbons were all jumbled up and completely disorganized, which didn't come as much of a surprise to Axel as he glimpsed down at the box as well, but the expression on his face wasn't as cheerful as Aerith's.

"Those look kind of…" _Expensive._ Axel didn't sound too excited about them, the redhead trying to come up with a way to let Aerith down gently, because he knew she was going to try to get him to buy her some. Before he could say anything else, he saw some quick movement out of the corner of his eye, turning his head to see Leon holding a finger to his lips to get Axel to be quiet. Taking the hint, Axel's gaze drifted back down to Aerith, who was particularly interested in a lime green colored ribbon that had small white flowers sewn into them in a diagonal pattern.

"Like that one?" Leon asked, and Aerith nodded enthusiastically. "Good. You can keep that one too if you'd like."

"Really? !" Aerith clutched the ribbon in her palms, squealing in delight as she turned to Axel and held up the ribbon proudly in her hands and all up in his face, like as if he hadn't been standing there already. "Look Axel! I got another one!"

"Leon, you really don't have to do this." Axel couldn't tell if he was doing this out of kindness or pity, and Axel didn't really want to know which one it was. Perhaps coming here was a mistake after all.

"I know." Leon shrugged casually. "But it looks like I already did. And don't think I don't see that irritated look on your face. I'm not giving doing it for charity, of that's what you think."

"Then why?" Axel's brows meshed together, ready to go on the defensive if another argument was to break out. He hoped it wouldn't end up that way again, or it'll ruin his chances of friendship entirely.

"Do I really need to have a reason?" Leon shrugged again as he pushed the bin back onto the shelf all the way with his foot. "I want to be nice to a little girl. Nothing much past that."

"You sound like such a pedophile. If you're going to make moves on my little sister, you've got to take her out to dinner first." Leon frowned and rolled his eyes, but Axel laughed, Aerith looking onwards with ignorant confusion.

"You know what I mean, Dupek."

"The heck's a 'dupeck'?"

"_Dupek_," Leon repeated the word. "I'd tell you what it meant, but there are little ears present."

"Oh, so now you're calling me names in another language? You're _so _clever."

"You're just jealous because you can't speak a second language."

"I am not."

"I bet you are." Leon smirked.

"Speaking another language doesn't impress me."

"I can speak Chinese if you want."

"Shut up, you can't speak Chinese."

"No, but I still speak Polish and you don't."

"And you get mad at _me_ for being rude to customers." The voice that belonged to Leon's little brother, Zack, called from somewhere unseen in the small store. His outburst was followed by a string of mumbled words that were unknown to Axel's vocabulary, most likely Polish insults.

"Stop eavesdropping, Zack." Leon's words silently spoke to Axel, saying 'I can't stand him sometimes,' and it made the redhead's mouth perk in a small grin.

"I'm not the one calling a customer an asshole!"

"What did you just say?" The sudden drop in Leon's tone startled Aerith, making her shiver instinctively like a child about to be whipped for doing something wrong. It was so sudden that it even caught Axel by surprise. Leon completely dismissed the Daecher siblings and stormed down the isle, preparing to unleash disciplinary wrath on Zack's potty mouth, which honestly seemed a little hypocritical, but Axel was in no position to judge because there were times that he had let a curse slip free in Aerith's presence and she picked up on it as well. It was funny, Axel thought, how he and Leon were in such a similar situation.

"No, stop, don't-!" Axel could hear the floor creak from the crippled boy trying to escape on his walking stick.

"Don't even try wobbling away from me, you know what's coming!" The rest of their heated conversation was spoken in hurried Polish that Axel couldn't understand. Aerith whimpered with fright and tapped on Axel's stomach, but the redhead only petted the top of her head comfortingly as he waited for the all too familiar storm to pass. It was scary for Aerith, but it was just another day in the life of a frustrated young adult looking after a smaller sibling to Axel. He understood.

There were only words exchanged between them, no sort of slapping or spanking, and a few minutes later Leon reemerged, his palm covering one side of his face in embarrassment as the floor creaked agitatedly from Zack's walking stick, followed by a slamming door in the back of the shop, announcing Zack's exit.

"I'm really sorry about that." Leon sighed in apology to both Aerith and Axel. "Zack has a bit of an attitude problem."

"No big." Axel replied. "I know how it is. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. Where is Zack, anyway? Aerith wanted to come and play with him while we were here."

"Huh." Leon acknowledged his intention with a grunt as he folded his arms at his chest and looked to Aerith, who had calmed down somewhat since the yelling had stopped. "That's a really nice, Aerith, and I really appreciate it. But Zack's in trouble and can't play today. Maybe another day."

"Oh, okay…" Aerith nodded, but there was disappointment and hurt flashing in her soft green eyes, and it was enough to make both men melt into a puddle of guilt. Axel always wondered if Aerith was aware of the effect she had on people, her timid yet charismatic personality gripping everyone that she met, and now Leon had become subject to it as well. Blue eyes met green as the two adults looked at each other, brows perked and coming to a silent agreement that they couldn't leave Aerith hanging like this, despite the fact she was using her cuteness and charm for what seemed like evil at the time.

"You got anything going on tomorrow?" Leon asked Axel, that question alone bringing shock to the redhead's face. _What the-? How the-? Ooooh, I see what you're doing_, Axel spoke to his little sister in his head, looking down at her with a glare that signaled that he knew he was on to her. Axel's head nearly hit the ceiling when, for just a second, he caught a glimpse of mirth in the girl's eyes. _Aha! You sneaky little twit…_

"No, I don't think so." Axel looked completely calm and urbane as he replied. "Why, you got something in mind?"

"I close the shop early on Saturdays, around three." Leon added with a snort, "Not like many people come around here anyway. Maybe you could come back then? The door will be locked, but if you want to come in just knock and I'll get it. I live in the flat upstairs." That answered Axel's question as to where the second door in the back of the store led, mentally marking that question off his checklist of things to ask Leon about.

"Okay, so what time would I have to come back to get her?" Axel was essentially trying to ask if that invitation was extended to him as well, and the few seconds it took for Leon to reply felt like an eternity. He just wanted a chance to be a friend…and to have one.

"I wasn't just talking about Aerith, moron." Leon smirked. "I got some Jever Pilsner that's been gathering up frost in my refrigerator. And hey, drinking with someone else is more fun than drinking alone."

"You've got Jever?" Axel's eyes grew wide. "How the hell did you manage to swing that?" Many industries were crippled by the war, including the alcohol industry. They used to sell beer in stores, but after the war started, most breweries were being destroyed all across Poland, Germany and other European countries, so many of them resorted to only selling their alcohol directly from the brewery to the customers. The only drawback to that is that it was very, very expensive.

"It was a gift." Leon said casually. "So, you coming or what?"

"Ah… sure." Axel almost forgot to speak. There was an intense happiness that overwhelmed him that he had never felt before, and it was completely exhilarating. At last for the first time in…well, almost forever, Axel finally had plans. Axel was going to spend time with someone else that wasn't constantly asking to play house or play with dolls. Axel was doing something for himself.

Axel was in a daze (not an obvious one for Leon to notice) for the last few minutes in the shop as they exchanged farewells. Aerith thanked Leon for the new ribbon and, surprisingly, let go of Axel for just a few seconds to give the elder brunette a brief hug before attaching herself back to Axel's side. His trance was broken when the sound of the rusty bell above the door of the shop rang pathetically in his ears, and he became aware that he was walking down the street once again to go back to their apartment. After making it to their block, Axel gave a tug on Aerith's arm to get her attention.

"Don't think for a second you were fooling me, kiddo." Axel sneered playfully. Aerith looked up at her older brother and smiled, giggling as she started skipping alongside him.

"What are you talking about, brother?" Aerith said so sugary-sweetly that it was enough to give Axel a cavity. The redhead quickly snatched the girl up in his arms and tucked her up under his left arm like she was some sort of package, ignoring her squeals and kicks of protest as he rubbed his knuckles on the crown of her head, a gesture that Axel always used on her whenever they were playing around.

"You didn't really want to go to play with Zack, did you?"

"I did! I did! Lemme dowwwwwwnnn!" She demanded, and Axel relented, placing the girl back down on her feet. Aerith huffed like a little princess prima donna and smoothed out her shirt, which wasn't very wrinkled to begin with, and crossed her arms to refuse to hold Axel's hand as his punishment.

"But that wasn't the only reason, was it?"

"Well…" There was a guilty silence that hung in the air around her as she started to kick a pebble down the sidewalk with the toe of her scuffed up mary janes. "I kinda wanted to see if I could get another ribbon…" She admitted sheepishly before looking back up at her brother, who was waiting patiently for her to finish her explanation. "But… You and Mr. Leon were laughing and talking the first time we went there and I could tell it made you happy. You were happy we went today, aren't you?"

"Sure…"

"Good." Aerith smiled brightly. " So now we get to go visit him again, and you won't be lonely anymore."

Axel didn't know how to feel about Aerith's words. Was it really that obvious that he felt so lonely? That question was quickly overshadowed with another – How could a little girl her age show such compassion? It was another crystallizing moments that made Axel reflect on their lives, and look at how Aerith always found a way to make every day a little bit brighter, to add a little bit of color to his life. He couldn't believe his eyes were actually getting misty as he stared back down at her, out in the open just yards away from the complex. _Aerith…_

He did his best to contain the sheer happiness that was coursing through his veins and making his head spin until they reached the creaky steps of the front porch of their apartment complex. Once they made it inside safely and entered their apartment, Axel abruptly kneeled down on one knee to wrap his arms around his little sister, pulling her close and squeezing her with a gentle, loving firmness as he felt barely tears forming in the corners of his eyes. Aerith returned the hug by wrapping her much smaller arms around his neck even though she seemed a little confused as to why Axel was hugging her like this so suddenly.

"You are my saving grace, Mausi." Axel murmured into her ear before placing a tender kiss on her temple. "I love you." Axel felt Aerith's chest rumble as she giggled.

"I love you too, silly."

* * *

_**A/N: Uncle Kracker's 'Smile' was the inspiration for this chapter. If I had to choose a song that was Aerith and Axel's song, it would definitely be that one. Such cute sibling fluff~ I've been trying to practice my drawing skills by drawing the siblings, but I epically fail. Oh well, I guess you gotta be bad at something, right? *Sweatdrop***_

_**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed! I appreciate your feedback so much! I'm going to answer them all individually tomorrow, since I've been busy babysitting and have been unable to reply to them lately. Until next time!**_


	25. Hope

_**A/N: I am so so so so so so so SORRY! Oh my goodness, I didn't expect the update to take this long!** **–Sweatdrop- I moved into college right after I posted the last chapter, so I had a week or two to get adjusted to that, but that's not the problem. Shortly after that…I got a very bad kidney infection and was hospitalized. I have been sick for a while, so I have been very tired and weak and have been trying to get well. I worked on SHBF whenever I had the chance, so I'm sorry it took so long. I got out a few days ago, so I rushed to finish this chapter as soon as I could. I am sorry to all of my readers for this delay and assure you the next update will not take nearly as long.**_

_**New Fanart! :D Remember when Roxas was thinking about Axel eating an Ipod? Well...**_

_**xalkaivendetta. deviantart. com /art/Preta-demon-AXEL-Want-s-Ipod-178705581**_

_**Thanks to Less-Then-3 for this! :D**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

Naminé was at a complete loss. Not only did the Gods ignore her accusations, but now Xion, her eyes and ears on Earth, had been shattered by a sudden and violent outburst from the stubborn Preta she was sent to monitor. She used some of her magic to rebuild Xion, but now it was a matter of waiting for the puppet to awaken from her long slumber since being repaired. Now that Naminé had a good idea of what she was doing, she was able to extract the rebellious spirit within the clay doll so Xion would awaken the obedient and open minded servant that she was originally intended to be. But the relief from that success didn't do very much for the burden weighing down upon the petite seraphim.

She lay at the foot of the prayer geyser, watching the bubbles pouring out above her, the translucent spheres drifting downwards towards her form until they were only a foot way until one of her countless dragonfly paper dolls snatched them away and buzzed off into the orange sky above her to deliver the prayer. Naminé watched them toiling away like the busy worker bees they were, her concerns and troubles weighing heavily on her mind. She had tried milling about her castle, but she always found that remaining outdoors in her garden with the geyser was the most comfortable place to be. The angel also tried looking over Axel's file that she had acquired from the Library of Souls located in the valley below, but it wasn't too long before the lines began to blur together and Naminé found it difficult to read. She had barely slept since her encounter with Riku, so at the moment all she really wanted to do was rest so she could think of another plan with a fresh mind.

Yet, just as she was about to drift off into a light and possibly fitful sleep, an ear piercing roar echoed through the rolling hills of Pure Abode, making the ground beneath the angel shake violently and startling her with a cry and jumped to her feet. Her paper vessels that were neatly buzzing around her before were now scrambled and disoriented, flying into one another and bursting each other's bubbles, filling the now quiet air with loud whispers and cries of Earthly prayers that would fail to be delivered.

The shrieking roar rumbled the ground once again, and a confused Naminé looked to the sky for some sort of explanation to the hysteria taking place. Deep blue eyes widened with shock and fear as she saw a massive winged creature in the sky above, circling the top of her ivory castle and roaring with what sounded like spine chilling vengeance. It had the appearance of a dragon, a long, serpent-like body whose skin was a soft blue color, it's underbelly as white as snow. It seemed to be wearing a chrome spiked mask or helmet of some sort, and it's chrome wings looked mechanical as well. Large blades protruded out of it's spine, shimmering in the setting sun like multiple beacons of light.

No sooner that she looked at the winged beast, the beast caught sight of her as well. She gasped and backed away in fear as it gave another roar and began to descend down to the garden where she was standing. As it came closer, she could see that it's eyes were completely black as the night sky. The little angel was very afraid as the dragon landed and towered over her small figure, and was about to take flight to escape the creature's wrath.

"Fear not, dear Angel of Prayer." A voice bellowed as loud as the dragon's roar. It took Naminé a moment to realize that it was coming from the dragon itself. "I have ascended from the low peak of Mount Sumeru to seek your knowledge."

"Y-you…The Naga?" Naminé whispered silently, and despite the dragon's words, backed away protectively and hugged her chest protectively. She had to crane her neck upwards very painfully to look up, and even then she couldn't look at its face clearly.

"Yes, it is I." The Naga almost sounded amused by Naminé's actions, it's axe-like tail flicking overhead. "Though I also have another name which your ladyship may address me as – Xaldin, if you find it less overpowering. I do apologize if my entry startled you in any way."

Pure Abode was actually only a peak in a set of two mountains in the center of Heaven, though Pure Abode had the highest peak by far, stretching up into the sky as far as the eye could see. The second peak was called Mount Sumeru, and it is significantly shorter than it's sister peak, not even reaching half of the Pure Abode's visible height that wasn't concealed in a veil of thick fog. On Mount Sumeru was where Xaldin resided, a wise and powerful serpent that's duty was to protect the Bazaar and the outer wall surrounding Heaven from invading Asuras. The Naga is Heaven's first line of defense against the wrathful demi-gods, and most of the time they don't make it past the mighty serpent. Therefore, if anyone had an extensive knowledge on Asuras and their abilities, it was the Naga.

"I accept your apology," Naminé spoke softly, her frazzled nerves beginning to settle. "However, may I ask…if there is any way you could lean down or shift your position so I can see you better, I would greatly appreciate it. My wings are much too tired from a long journey to keep myself airborne to speak to you eye to eye."

"As you wish." The serpent's wings folded behind him, and the large, bright blue gem upon its chest began to shine brilliantly. Naminé had to turn her head away at the intensity of the light, bringing her arms up in front of her to shield her face. Soon the light faded as quickly as it had appeared, and Naminé took a moment to allow her eyes to readjust back to normal. Slowly, she brought down her arms to look upon the changed shape of the Naga, whom had now taken the form of a man dressed in the chrome-colored armor of the serpent's mask. He was a very broad shouldered man with an almost beast-like complexion, with thick black eyebrows and large sideburns that hook around his cheeks and coarse black hair threaded into dreadlocks that sat at the crown of his head in a ponytail. Despite the fact that the Naga's eyes were solid black in his true form, Xaldin's eyes were a deep violet color. Quite frankly, the shift was a surprise.

"Is this a more suitable form for you, madam?" Xaldin's voice was very similar to that of when he was in his serpent form, minus the malicious growl that could be heard with his words.

"Yes, thank you…" Xaldin looked over her with scrutinizing eyes, only adding to Naminé's discomfort. After a brief pause that was filled with the soft buzzing of the multiple dragonflies and other faux insects buzzing around them, Xaldin spoke again.

"You look surprised." He stated blatantly.

"Oh," Naminé's face turned red with embarrassment for gawking, bringing her slender hands to her face. "I just…I didn't know you had the magical capability to change forms."

"Hmph." Xaldon's thick brows furrowed as he continued to look at her with a foreboding stare, then resumed his previous indifferent expression. "I suppose your ignorance cannot be helped. You are fairly new on the job, correct?"

"Yes." It was true – she has only been the Angel of Prayer for about fifty years in Earth years. There was an angel before her- a strong seraph by the name of Terra- who was the Angel of Prayer before her. He was widely known and respected, but he only had a handful of others that he would call his friends. However, he suddenly disappeared fifty years ago under mysterious circumstances, and despite any effort made by the Devas of Heaven, they never managed to find him, and his whereabouts were still unknown to this day. Shortly after his disappearance, Naminé's soul that was still incubating in Limbo was chosen to be the next in line for the Angel of Prayer. Fifty years was a long time in terms of Heavenly time – in comparison to Earthly time, it traveled significantly slower. But the knowledge of Heaven is much too vast to know everything without being Enlightened and sent to the summit of Pure Abode. She only knew of the Naga's presence, but not much beyond that.

"I would explain the technicalities of my heavenly being, but I have a higher priority at this time." Xaldin paused to clear his throat. "From what I have been told by the whispers of the valleys, you have a reason to believe that there is an impending Asuran invasion." The tone of Xaldin's voice made Naminé feel like she was a small child being reprimanded by her father for drawing on the walls with crayon. It made her flinch, being told how wrong she was and scolded once again. She knew she wasn't lying! Why wouldn't anyone believe her?

"With all due respect, Mr. Xaldin," Naminé chimed in quietly. "I have already been told by a higher power by the name of Riku that my theory is farfetched, and I would rather not risk my hard work I put into achieving my own Enlightenment by opposing the gods."

"I'm not here to call you a liar." Xaldin corrected sharply. "I can sympathize with your reasoning. I hear that Elightenment takes centuries to achieve. And for you to be so close, I applaud you for your hard work and effort. However, I take my job of drilling those pathetic Asuras into the ground very seriously. Nothing personal against the all knowing," he quickly recovered by shaking his hands as to rid himself of slanderous speech. "They have the final word in everything. But I have a duty, and that is to protect these walls, false report or not."

"…Does this mean that you believe me?" The angel's heart swelled with hope as she smiled the brightest she had smiled in quite a while. It was a smile that even made the fierce Naga crack a small grin in the corner of his mouth, if only for an instant. Naminé's charm was contagious.

"I didn't say that, either." There was a treaty signed, you know. But we all know how dirty the Asuras can be, and I'm not going to risk the danger of ignoring a potential threat. What I need from you – if you aren't busy – is for you to fill me in on anything and everything you know about this threat."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Naminé exclaimed as she graciously motioned towards the adorned castle with a sweeping arm. "Let us speak privately within the safety of the castle walls."

Maybe hope was not lost after all.

* * *

***Week 6, Day 40, Monday***

***Eight Days Remaining***

"Rooooxxxasssss!" Roxas heard Axel call his name pitifully from the rooftop, making the blonde chuckle as he playfully ignored the Preta and resumed his 'bonding time' with one of Uncle Cid's dogs, the Red Heeler named Dixie. She was a sweetheart, in Roxas' opinion. Dixie was three years old, but she was smaller than Jasper, who was almost two, making her quite small for her breed. She was spunky and playful, and Roxas enjoyed playing catch with her whenever he could spare the time when he lived down here months ago. Now he was making up for lost time. Axel did not like this. Not at all.

"Stop ignoring meeeee~" Axel groaned again, continuing his temper tantrum. Roxas was supposed to be spending his free time with him, not some mangy mongrel that could turn on him at any second and rip his face off effortlessly. So what if she was small? It _could_ happen!

"I told you what you had to do, Axel, and I'm not going to do anything with you until you do it." Roxas told him as he picked up the toy that Dixie had dropped at his feet, which was two tennis balls threaded together with a piece of rope, the dog whimpering and shifting around anxiously at his feet as she waited for him to throw it.

"There's no way you're gonna get me down there." Axel pointed to the ground, where he just _knew _that Jasper or Willie Nelson or whatever the hell those dogs' names are were just waiting in the bushes for him to come down. He knew Jasper was giving him the stink eye at the airport through the glass of the back truck window. That dog had it in for him.

"What do you want, sweetie?" Roxas cooed to the dog at his feet, which made Axel want to gag, the teen dangling the toy over her head, just out of her reach. Dixie's whimpers grew louder as she tried to jump up on her two hind feet to grab the toy in her teeth, but Roxas held it higher. "What do you want? Tell me what you want."

"I want Roxas Sexy Time!" Axel replied enthusiastically, hoping to get some sort of rise out of him, but Roxas only glanced at him with an unamused look. Dixie started to make whimpers that sounded like small squeaks, the noise catching Roxas' attention.

"That's it," Roxas jiggled the tennis ball toy right above her head, taunting her further. The red dog finally made a noise that Axel was pretty sure was supposed to be a bark, but it sounded like someone stepped on a rubber duck bathtub toy. Roxas laughed and finally threw it with as much force as he could across the yard. The anxious dog took off like a torpedo to retrieve it.

"What the fuck was that?" Axel asked dumbly, still trying to figure out how a sound like that could come out of a dog.

"Dixie can't bark right." Roxas explained as he watched the small dog snatch the toy up off of the ground and swung it around and gnawed on one of the balls. "She's been squeaking like that instead of barking ever since she was a puppy. We thought it would go away when she got older, but it hasn't. I think it's hilarious, to be honest."

"Blah blah blah," Axel mocked him with a talking hand puppet as he rolled his eyes. "Not interested. Now it's Axel time."

"Not until Axel gets down here." Roxas folded his arms at his chest, unwilling to give in.

"Come on, Roxas…." Axel held his face in his hand as he sighed, his voice quieting a few decibels. "You know I don't like being around dogs."

"And I don't like being yelled at by Uncle Cid when he asks me how I ended up on the roof by myself without a ladder." Roxas retorted, make a reference to yesterday's episode, when Axel convinced Roxas to watch the sun set with him like they had done several times before on the rooftop back at home.

"I already apologized for getting you in trouble. Twice, actually, if you count the hot make-up make out under the covers last night." Axel's brows wiggled suggestively. This made Roxas blush madly. How could Roxas forget that?

"I know, but I don't want to have to go up to the roof every time we want to hang out or hole up in my room. I like being outside. I want you to be able to hang out here- outside, on the ground – with me."

"If you got a pen to put those dogs in, then I'd be more than happy to come down there and do whatever it is you Southern hillbillies do for fun."

"We don't have a pen for them."

"Yeah you do, it's behind the office." Axel pointed to the white building off in the distance.

"That's a _cattle_ pen, Axel." Roxas playfully satirized him like he was three years old. "You see those animals over there, the black and brown ones with the horns? Those are cows. Moo cows. Moo cows go in the cattle pen. "

"Stop it, I get it." Axel grumbled as he scooted around so Roxas got a clear view of his backside. He watched the dramatic slump of the demon's shoulders and felt pangs of conscience. The point of trying to get Axel to come down was because he wanted to be able to show the Preta around the farm a little, and perhaps over to the Cabin down the road from the farm as well, but that would mean that he would have to help Axel get over his fear with dogs to be able to stand being around them. He wasn't asking Axel to pet them or be friendly with them, just to tolerate their presence instead of being cooped up inside or on the roof all day.

"Axel?"

"Hm?" Axel grunted, not even turning his head.

"Why is it that you're afraid of dogs?" Roxas asked, hoping that at least knowing what the problem was would help him figure out how to go about fixing it. "I mean, I get that you don't like them, but is it because you're just not a dog person or did something happen to you?" The contemplative silence was the only reply given to him, and Roxas waited to see if it was because Axel was just trying to come up with something to say. His hopes sank after about fifteen seconds of silence, and by then Dixie was back and dropped the toy at her playmate's feet, the little nub on her butt that was supposed to be her tail wagging furiously as she impatiently waited for him to throw it again. After another odd sounding squeak of annoyance from the little red dog, the discouraged teenager admitted silent defeat and bent down to throw it again.

"I'm not afraid of dogs." Axel proudly stated as Roxas was in mid-throw, distracting him and making his pitch of the tennis toy very pathetic and only going for a few yards instead of all the way across the backyard. "I just don't like being around them. They bring back some memories I'd rather not think about."

"…Were you attacked by a dog before?" Roxas dared to ask the question that had been hanging in his throat every time Axel became nervous when he was in close proximity with canines. That question made Axel's shoulders bristle, the typical reaction of a man too proud to admit to his weaknesses and fears.

"_Dogs_." Axel corrected him with the plural tense almost shamefully, and Roxas got the mental image of Axel's pride getting a swift kick to the crotch. The blonde became angry with himself. How could he have been so blind? His insatiable curiosity had blatantly trampled over Axel's dignity and didn't realize it until it was too late. He was embarrassed, mortified on a whole new level he didn't think possible. It hurt him so to know that he had prodded another reluctant answer from Axel, especially when all of the warning signs were there the whole time, now that he thought about it. Kairi and Olette had warned him about doing that!

"I'm sorry…" Roxas' tone was laced with guilt, any strength that may have been in him to bend over to pick up the tennis toy sitting at his feet again being sucked away into feebleness. "I didn't know. I really shouldn't have patronized you like that..."

"It's my fault, really. I should have said something sooner." Axel shrugged, his reply nonchalant, but he was still unwilling to turn around to fully acknowledge the apology.

"I know you're not exactly happy with me right now_- Shut up_!" Roxas interrupted himself as he glared down at Dixie, who was squeaking and barking like crazy to get his attention. Dixie paid no heed to Roxas' command and continued barking. "I said _be quiet_!" The heavy angsty air around the Preta vanished as Axel bit down on the corner of his lip to halt a childish, taunting 'ha-ha-you-got-in-trouble' snicker from slipping free as Roxas scolded Dixie. Stealing a peek over his shoulder, Axel watched Roxas swiftly crouch down and curl his fingers around Dixie's camouflage-printed collar and yanked the dog closer to him before she could escape to taunt him at a distance. Dixie gave a yelp in surprise as she was yanked forward, the irritated blonde clamping his palm over her wheat and burgundy colored muzzle shut tightly and brought her face close to his and whispered harshly, too quiet for Axel to know what he was saying. Axel rolled his eyes at Roxas' attempt to talk to the dog – did he really think it could understand him?

"Roxas!" Uncle Cid's grating voice bellowed from the shop, making human, Preta, and canine alike direct their complete attention to the grimy grease-coated man standing just outside the shop. Axel couldn't tell if he got a weird enjoyment from wiping an oil stained washcloth on his forehead to or if he was trying to wipe the sweat off of his face. Either way, the only thing it was accomplishing at the moment was successfully smearing the grease all over his sun burnt face and looking like he willingly stuck his head inside a barrel of oil.

"Yes'sir?" The slur that came from Roxas' lips surprised the Preta even further. _Where did that come from?_

"Stop talkin' to the dog and git around back to the shed with the hay bales wit' the Bobcat. Terry called and said someone's waitin' by the shed fer a bale." Uncle Cid added with an amused grunt, "It'll give ya somethin' to do 'stead of standin' around and talkin' to the dogs like you been doin'."

"Fine." Roxas had an underhanded motive to playing with Dixie to begin with, and that was to be able to talk to Axel without necessarily looking like he was talking to himself if Uncle Cid or Sora happened to walk by, but it would instead look like he was talking to the dog, which Uncle Cid himself did sometimes anyway. Figuring that Axel was still upset with him, he didn't attempt to say goodbye as he started walking towards the shed beside the shop that held most of the heavy farming machinery, including several different types of tractors and their assorted attachments, a golf cart, three four-wheelers, and the Bobcat.

The Bobcat was a skid loader, a machine that most people outside the farming and mechanical lifestyle would probably see at a bulk store such as Sam's Club called a 'forklift.' The Bobcat, unlike the forklifts, are more heavy duty and suited for much tougher use and lifting, such as lifting a massive hay bale into the bed of a truck or hauling off debris. It could also be used as a snowplow, using the right attachments. The black and tacky yellow piece of machinery sat under the shed, the leather seat inside like a throne as Roxas climbed inside and fired up the engine. Expert hands on the shifting gears, he as just about to exit the shed when he heard a very unsettling **bang** that made Roxas jolt.

_Was that the engine_? Roxas thought, voting to stay on the safe side instead of taking the risk of the engine overheating in the hot Georgia weather and shifted the Bobcat into the parking position. Just as he turned the key to switch it off, a shadow was casted over his face.

"Axel?" Roxas acknowledged the demon with a rather unpleasant sounding greeting. He realized now where the sound had come from, and it was from Axel having done whatever he does to go from one place to another and landed on top of the Bobcat, and was now on his knees and looking at Roxas upside down from the entrance's ceiling.

"What's this?" Axel asked, completely ignoring the irritated scowl on the blonde's face. "Is it like a mini-tractor or something?" Roxas was surprised how Axel was acting so…like himself. Had he not been brooding on the roof just minutes ago? The way Axel's moods just did complete back-flips was a puzzling mystery to Roxas. He could swear Axel was bipolar.

"No, it's a Bobcat. What are you doing?"

"It's really weird to watch someone's lips move when you're upside down. Have you noticed that?" The laughter flickering like a flame in his unnaturally bright green eyes only cemented Roxas' theory that the Preta had bipolar disorder.

"Is there a point to you being up there or are you just trying to get back at me for the dog thing by making me think the engine's about to explode and scare the shit out of me?"

"Yes?" Axel grinned, not giving any indication to which explanation he was answering. Roxas pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

"Please don't get like this, let me just do this for my uncle real quick so then we can kill some time before we have to go over to the Cabin and gut those doves for Wednesday's supper."

"Supper?" Axel tilted his head to the side.

"The dove supper at the Cabin my uncle was talking about at the airport?"

"Ooooohh." Axel nodded his head in realization and approval, his head disappearing from view, but he was still aware of the Preta still sitting on the top of the machinery. "After the gutting and stuff is done, then we can chill together, right?"

"Um, I guess?" He sounded uncertain, but that seemed to be good enough for the weird-acting Preta, for his reply was the familiar swish of the swirling portal that transported the spirit elsewhere. Once he was certain that Axel was gone, he fired up the Bobcat again and took off for the hay bale shed.

Lately, Roxas noticed that Axel was becoming more demanding than usual. He wanted to be around Roxas all the time, which wasn't new, but now he was resorting to pestering measures to get Roxas to sneak off with him for some alone time. Roxas always turned him down, and the pouting Preta would just sit off to the side and watch him work from a distance. He started doing this on Friday the moment they got here, and it had been constant ever since. It was as if there was a sense of urgency in Axel's voice when he asked when they would have time to themselves.

"Roxas? !" A voice squealed in utter delight at such a high pitch that Roxas could hear it over the sputtering of the Bobcat's engine. Roxas snapped to complete focus as he approached the hay barn, not seeing anything in front of him except a sleek black Ford pickup truck with one of those fake decorations on the back window that made it look like a softball had been wedged into the glass from such a fierce throw. Roxas could barely make out the number '29' written in bold black letters on the softball. Suddenly, this truck looked strangely familiar.

His curiosity and suppressed excitement overshadowed the task at hand and Roxas braked to a stop. As soon as he poked his head out from the Bobcat, he heard his name being called once more and confirmed his suspicions when he casted his gaze to a figure running around the side of the truck to meet him.

"Selphie?" Roxas' cracked a smile so wide it almost hurt. Just as quickly as he could jump out of the Bobcat, the curvaceous figure of the golden brown-haired female practically threw him down to the ground when she preformed her classical glomp of greeting.

"Oh my god, I can't believe this!" Selphie squealed as she hugged Roxas tightly before quickly letting go. "You're actually here! Why didn't you text us and tell us you were coming back home? !"

"I wanted it to be a surprise." Roxas replied as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and smiled. "I was going to wait until I invited everyone over to the Dove Supper on Wednesday."

"A dove supper? Oh wow, I haven't been to one of your uncle's suppers since…well, you left!" Selphie giggled. "Oh shoot, I gotta tell everybody you're here! What's on the agenda for things to do?"

"Uncle Cid told me he made a couple of new trails over at the Cabin, so if anyone wants to being their four-wheelers or dirt bikes, they can. Probably a bonfire and some late night mud bogging, just like every other Spring Break. Maybe some fishing too. I dunno. We usually make it up as we go, right?" Roxas shrugged.

"Just like old times! This is gonna be awesome!" Selphie squealed once again with excitement. Just as she was about to continue, a sharp whistle rang in their ears that belonged to Selphie's dad, who appeared from the other side of the hay barn.

"Well, what do you say, Mr. Grimm!" Selphie's father greeted Roxas, to which Roxas responded with a nod.

"How are you doing, sir?" Roxas asked politely. His Southern roots were quickly starting to show again.

"Mighty fine, thank you. I didn't know you'd be home for the break. I'm sure you and your friends got plenty of catching up to do."

"Yes sir."

"Now, I'd stay around and chit chat, but I got me some hay to deliver. You mind helping me out a bit?"

"No problem, just a minute." With that, Roxas climbed back into the Bobcat and after about twenty minutes of fumbling around to get a good grip on the bales, he helped load two large circular hay bales into the back of the pickup truck. The rest of the encounter with Selphie and her father was brief, but Selphie made it very clear that Roxas was to text her the details about the dove supper so she'd know what to tell everyone else later in the day.

As the teen waved his old friend goodbye, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic and excited all at the same time. He truly missed being here. Being at home. The smell of fresh hay on the field, the feeling of the sun on his face, the satisfaction of a day's work well done – it made Roxas feel alive. He hated that he had to move almost a year ago, and he used to completely regret it. But now, he had something that made living in the city just a little more bearable…

**THUD!**

"Fuck!" Roxas exclaimed as the Bobcat shook from the impact of something on the roof of the machine once again, just how it had done earlier with Axel's abrupt entrance. Not this again, Roxas groaned in his head. "Axel, you seriously need to stop doing that! You're gonna tear up the Bobcat!" Roxas kept bickering and bitching as he climbed out of the school bus yellow machine and turned to glare up at the redhead that he was pretty sure was sitting up on top of it, but found that Axel was nowhere to be found.

"Axel?" Roxas blinked, looking around for the Preta, but there was nothing in sight besides a barn cat that was reclining lazily on top of a stack of two hay bales on the edge of the barn. Brows scrunched up in confusion as Roxas directed his attention back to the Bobcat, now thinking that there was actually something wrong with the engine. With a disgruntled sigh, Roxas ran his fingers through his lightly sweaty hair and went to turn off the machine to start assessing the problem.

As he switched off the ignition, he suddenly felt ill with a feeling that was screaming in his head that something wasn't right. He looked back over his shoulder again, but there was nothing and no one to be seen.

_Cmon, take a breath, you're just imagining things._ Roxas told himself as he took in a deep breath through his nostrils, releasing the breath in a long sigh. He could feel his nerves settling somewhat, but it only bothered him that he didn't know why he was feeling like this out of nowhere. It just seemed like there was some sort of ominous presence hanging in the air that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He had never felt this kind of sensation before.

It was when he was climbing back out of the Bobcat is when he heard the breathing. The hoarse, cracking, bone-chilling wheezing that one would only hear in haunted houses or horror movies by animated corpses and demons from Hell. Fear hit him like the instinct of an animal, not knowing _where_ the danger was, but just knowing he had to get out of there. He took several steps back, and in the process tripped over his own footing and fell back onto the ground.

"W-What the…. ? !" Roxas gasped in horror, his muscles seizing and locking him in his spot as his vision locked on the roof of the Bobcat for a third time. Perched on top of the Bobcat was a creature unlike anything Roxas had ever seen before. It appeared to be a humanoid completely submerged in oozing, bubbling black tar that oozed from every pore of the creature's body and seeped to it's crouched legs and arms, dripping slowly down the sides of the machine like pancake syrup. It had two large antennae that was crimped like two small bolts of lighting, and it's only facial features was two piercing golden eyes that left Roxas in a stupor like a deer in headlights.

It was hissing at him, wheezing – almost screaming, writhing in its place atop of the Bobcat, glaring at Roxas like a predator eyeing it's prey. A scream hung in Roxas' throat, a cry for help, a cry for Axel. But his lips wouldn't cooperate, being too busy with his own jaw hanging open in surprise, shock, and fear.

"A…..Ah…..A-Ax…" Roxas croaked, his voice cracking as he tried to slowly shuffle to his feet without sudden movements to provoke the creature. It only continued to stare, to shake violently and continue wheezing, almost like a hoarse scream. Roxas could feel his body gradually begin to take control of itself once again, and as soon as he thought he was physically able, he turned tail and ran as fast as he could, kicking up dirt and dust behind him as he fled. He silently prayed the creature would disappear, but he heard the beast unleash a chilling scream before giving chase. He didn't dare to look back.

"AXEL!" Roxas cried at the top of his lungs, totally disregarding the high probability that Uncle Cid or any one the workers nearby could hear him cry out some random person's name. Whatever this thing was, it was after Roxas, and judging by how fast it had caught up to him and slashed his legs out from under him to render him immobile once again, it had no intention of leaving without him.

The last thing Roxas remembered was blood staining the dusty ground beneath him from a gash in his leg and the screech of flying metal.

* * *

The nervousness that Axel had felt returning to the general store the day before was nothing compared to the anxiety he felt when he and Aerith went to visit Leon and Zack after hours the first time. Fortunately Axel was able to play it off and spend a casual Saturday afternoon with Leon and a few bottles of Jever Pilsner without a hitch. Aerith was her shy self around Zack at first, keeping one hand firmly clenched to Axel's shirt before finally warming up to the dark haired boy and the two of them were off to his bedroom to play. Axel wasn't too concerned about letting Aerith play with Zack without his supervision, just as long as the little punk didn't make her cry.

Surprisingly, Leon's living quarters were a lot like Mrs. Guntram's apartment but on a smaller scale. The stairs in the back of the store led up to the second floor, which was met with a small living area that was attatched to a small kitchen area. The bathroom was in what Axel had initially mistook as a closet in the kitchen, and then there were two small bedrooms past the kitchen.

After a little while of drinking, listening to the radio and playing some cards, Leon managed to divulge some of his personal life to Axel upon his questioning. The brunette had been reluctant at the outset, but after a few Pilsners, he was a little more open about it. The reason why he had such nice clothing was because he actually came from a nice, well off family. They had lived off in the farmlands of Poland and were doing pretty well during his childhood, though the strains of the German economy could sometimes be felt every once in a while.

When Leon was fifteen, Zack was born. He was a normal, healthy baby boy until he was two years old, when he was inflicted with polio. Any and all finances were then put towards Zack's well being – medication, doctor visits, emergency treatments- and Leon's family began to feel their wealth begin to slip through their fingers. Yet, they kept at it, all for Zack's sake. Leon was pretty indifferent about it to start with, he actually hated it for a little while, but then he was able to deal with it, but he turned a blind eye to his crippled little brother during Zack's toddlerhood.

Fast-forwarding to about five years ago, by then Leon's family had lost all of their money and was reduced to a lifestyle of poverty that Axel was accustomed to. Leon, being an ignorant eighteen year old at that time, silently blamed Zack for the family's problems. Despite his parent's constant pleas to pitch in, he just turned a blind eye and moved into the city and started his own general store to try to make a living for himself, to try to forget about how his life had spiraled from the good life down to a 'shit hole.' It was at this point in Leon's story that Leon paused and threw his cards down at the table, his palm hitting the table with a frustrated thump. He cursed himself for being so thoughtless and heartless back then, wondering what it was that made him selfish enough to pin the blame on an innocent kid for his situation. Perhaps it was the 'rich boy' talking somewhere deep inside him somewhere, but either way, he hated that side of himself.

After that, he got back on track. About three years ago, he received a letter from his mother in the mail. His father had been arrested for robbery to try to support Zack, who was in the hospital with complications from his polio affliction. His mother had fallen ill and feared that she didn't have the strength to take care of Zack on her own. Reluctantly, Leon traveled back home and took Zack to take care of him himself. Two weeks later his mother died of pneumonia.

Zack hated him for the longest time. He was stubborn, mean, and ill-natured towards Leon and did his best to make Leon's life as miserable as possible. Not only was that a pain, but Zack's medical bills demanded more of Leon's free spending money with each passing flux of sickness. It wasn't until Leon received word that his father was beaten to death by a German police officer while he was in prison because he wouldn't give praise to Hitler that it hit Leon with full force; Zack was the only thing he had left.

Long story short, Leon had a major attitude adjustment and was presently just as protective and supportive to Zack as Axel was to Aerith, minus some of the doting qualities between the Daecher duo. They still had their rough patches and Zack still harbored some ill-will towards Leon for his neglect as a child, but they were definitely making some progress, and Axel could tell that when it came down to it, the two brothers did love each other like all siblings do. Leon swore up and down he wasn't going to be the same 'sonofabitch' he used to be and was going to look after Zack like he was his own son. He was going to make it work.

The heavy discussion was then broken when Zack reappeared with a bashful looking Aerith at his side and officially declared that the little brunette girl was his girlfriend. This made Leon howl with laughter and made Axel half spit/half choke on his swallow of alcohol and flail about until he could catch his breath properly. What a Saturday.

Little did Axel know that things were about to get complicated very quickly.

* * *

_**A/N: I personally feel like my writing wasn't exactly up to par for this chapter, and for that I'm sorry. It might just me being picky, but being ill while your writing can greatly affect your train of thought and writing style, at least for me. Upcoming chapters will be back to their usual awesomeness.**_

_**Anyway, I got an email a week or so ago telling me about some kind of redbutton situation here on FF. I have read into what this software does and am aware that all fanfictions are at risk to this, including mine. However, I have no intention to move SHBF or my Playhouse Stories anywhere else as of yet, since the redbutton has not affected me so far. But if the problem arises, know that I will make sure all of you know where I will be posting future chapters. However, I'm pretty sure I'm safe, so don't worry about it.**_

_**CHAPTERS WONT TAKE THIS LONG, I'M SORRY AGAIN! ;.;**_

_**Review if you'd like!**_


	26. A Shot in the Dark

"AXEL!"

The desperate cry caught Axel by surprise as he sat atop the roof, indolently twirling a dead leaves between his fingers before setting them ablaze to fall to the shingles roof in a pile of ashes before his crossed legs – so much that he dropped one of the leaves onto his coat and ended up charring it at the lower hem, making the closest intimate area smell of burnt leather. Armed with the knowledge of the possibility of his future demise and the chance that he had been warned that Roxas would end up in danger as well, the Preta didn't take a moment to question Roxas' motives. He was already gone, speeding towards the hay barn merely seconds after the last syllable of his name was called, completely ignoring the small auburn colored canine barking at him from the patio.

_How could I have been so stupid ? !_ Axel hissed in the corner of his mind that wasn't pumping with adrenaline. _Leaving Roxas alone without my supervision at a time like this? I can't believe it!_ Moments later he was rounding the corner of one of the abandoned tool sheds and passing by the lagoon in which the truck waste was dumped in, the hay barn only yards away. He briefly stopped at the parked Bobcat to quickly glance inside, but Roxas was nowhere to be found. He did see that the sides of the machine were covered in a thick, sticky black substance that he didn't notice before. Before he could ponder on it, he heard the sound of metal clashing not too far away, and Axel resumed his search.

At last, Axel finally made it on the scene, and he was met with the sight of his little blond lying limp on the ground, and a familiar black clad Preta with a black headband, blocking an oncoming attack from the gooey humanoid creature with a massive shuriken. With a loud grunt, Yuffie was able to push the beast back several yards with a mighty swing of her weapon, leaving high velocity sprays of black tar and goo all around, some even sticking to her own face. The momentum of her swing as it came to a close gave her the chance to see Axel out of the corner of her eye just in time to see him charge right past her and unleash his blazing chakrams onto the temporarily stunned goo-creature, sending more goo flying in every direction.

"What is that thing? !" Yuffie asked Axel as the redheaded Preta caught his chakrams with fluid grace like he had done countless times before.

"I have no idea." Axel replied dryly, readying another attack as the creature gave a howl and rose back to its feet. "But whatever it is, it's definitely not one of us. Get Roxas somewhere safe. I'll take care of this."

"Are you sure?" Yuffie's voice held traces of concern, but it only made Axel scowl as he looked over his shoulder at her.

"Yes I'm sure! He's bleeding and there's not much I can do about that. He'd be safer in your care right now." It almost stung to say something like that, but he knew his skill when it came to healing left a lot to be desired. He had a feeling that Yuffie would probably be more skilled in magic than he. The ooze monster went in for another attack, catching Axel's full attention as he fended it off while Yuffie gathered up Roxas in her arms and teleported elsewhere, her location to Axel at the moment unknown, but he figured he would worry about that later.

The creature was hissing and yowling menacingly with each assault, to which Axel found it surprisingly easy to fend the creature off with mere swings of his arms, his chakrams doing all of the work for him. Black ooze was sloshing around everywhere with each slash and each step the creature took, and Axel eventually ended up covered in the gunk from head to toe. It was annoying, and felt like he had Jell-O in his hair and on his face, and it seemed to serve no purpose. At first.

Gradually, Axel was finding harder and harder to move. His movements were becoming hindered as the ooze began to dry, making him feel stiff all over. It was becoming so bad that when Axel went in to throw his chakrams, his chakrams didn't budge from the palms of his hands at all, glued to his hands from the hardened ooze. The Preta growled in annoyance and just continued to slash away at the nimble creature, who had started taking to melting down onto the ground and disappearing for several moments before popping up behind Axel to go for a surprise attack. As the ooze continued to dry, it was becoming harder for Axel to dodge these attacks.

_What the heck is this thing? _Axel thought as he put a lot more effort into taking a step back than he needed to. _It's definitely not a Preta, or an angel of any kind. I've never seen a Naraka before… maybe this is one of them?_

"Help me…!"

A croaking voice called to Axel, catching him by surprise. He went to try to move, but his green eyes widened with shock as he realized that he couldn't move at all. He was frozen in his spot, arms poised for combat, legs spread apart in a defensive stance. The ooze had completely hardened.

He wouldn't allow himself to panic. Judging by how easy it had been up to this point to fend off this creature, Axel figured that it didn't pack that much of a punch, either, so whatever was heading his way would be bearable. Perhaps the force from an oncoming blow would crack the black glue-like substance and allow him movement once again.

"Please….help…!" Axel heard the voice again, but now he realized that it's source… was the shivering, dripping creature before him that was clumsily taking steps towards him, it's humanoid form shaking and seizing with each step, it's head twitching.

"Can't really do much about helping you if I'm stuck like this, now can I?" Axel tried his hand at speaking, and found that his face had enough lax freedom to at least blink and speak.

"Please….my soul… stolen…" Axel's sarcasm didn't seem to phase the creature at all, who was still trying to approach him, but its steps were becoming much shorter. It was almost as if it was fighting with itself on the inside, wrestling for control.

"And you expect me to care because…?" Axel barked with malevolence. "Maybe if you didn't attack an innocent human, I would be more inclined to give to shits about your well being."

"You…" The creature croaked, it's oozing hand slowly coming up to point what looked like an index finger in his direction. "He'll get yours…. he'll get yours too…. I was stolen…robbed… I failed last time..." If Axel could have moved, he would have given the slightest cringe at the bone-shattering scream the creature unleashed as it clenched it's head and shook it madly.

"THIS TIME I'LL KILL YOU FOR SURE!" With significantly better control over it's own body, it charged forward with a burst of speed so fast that it left a cloud of dust behind it. Axel's muscles tensed as he awaited the force of impact, already having a counter attack in mind.

"Hey now, let's not be too hasty. Can't have Flamesilocks dead just yet." A voice chuckled maliciously in the air above the two combatants. Axel didn't have the freedom to turn his head in the direction of the voice, but he watched as two red lasers in the shape of arrows whizz by his head in his peripheral vision and rocket towards the dark creature, piercing it's chest and causing it to lose its balance and collapse to the ground. Axel took this opportunity to try to free himself by jerking around, but all efforts proved to be fruitless. The unsettling sound of footsteps approaching him from behind either didn't help, either. He couldn't assess the enemy behind him properly, so he had no idea what to expect.

"You're in quite a pickle, huh buddy?" The newcomer taunted the Preta, having come to a stop behind him, at least to Axel's knowledge. Before Axel could give his own retort, the stranger kept talking. "Lemme help you with that."

The next thing Axel knew, he was given a swift kick to his backside with enough force that he almost swore broke his spine. The loud cracking noise, however, did not come from his possibly severed spine, but from the hardened black ooze ripping apart as Axel fell forward to his knees. Axel clenched his teeth shut tightly to prevent from yelling out, and instead directed a seething, acidic green glare over his shoulder to whoever it was that helped him/kicked the crap out of him. He could tell right away that the man was a Preta from his dark clothing. He had long black hair that had several gray streaks that was tied back into a low ponytail, his face scarred and distorted with marks of countless battles, and an eye patch covered his right eye. In his hands he held weapons that looked like highly advanced mechanical arrow guns.

"What's with that face, huh?" The Preta shrugged as he perked a brow, a grin curling in the corner of his mouth slightly. "I did help you out before you got your heart stolen, didn't I? It's a good thing I did, too. Xemnas would have had my head if anything happened to you."

"I'm assuming you are one of his minions?" Axel replied bitterly.

"Minions?" The scarred man laughed. "As if. Think of it more like comrades."

"Sure, whatever." Axel took this opportunity of ceasefire to get back on his feet, the shards of black 'clay' shattering with his movements and crumbling to the ground. As he got up, he could see the creature that had attacked him was still on the ground, writhing and making gurgling noises – it seemed to be paralyzed. Looks like it wasn't getting up anytime soon.

"Looks to me like you're as headstrong as the rumors claim." The other Preta smirked. "How interesting. Kinda makes me wish I had the authority to fight you."

"What's stopping you, then?" Axel twirled his chakrams in his hands to rid them of the black substance.

"Wasn't ordered to. That Heartless over there escaped from one of Xemnas' experimental pods, and I was ordered to catch it."

"Heartless? What the heck is that?"

"Normally, I wouldn't give that kind of information. But what would you say if I told you that you've met that Heartless before?"

"I'd say you're nucking futs. I've never seen one of those before."

"Does the name 'Larxene' ring a bell?" Axel's brow scrunched together in disbelief, taking a moment to glance over his shoulder to the stunned creature on the ground. That's Larxene…? I guess that explains why it was rambling about 'killing me this time.' How did she end up like this? _No… this can't be true. He's bluffing to make me drop my guard._

"I don't believe you." Axel said sternly as he drew his attention back to the other Preta.

"Really?" He chuckled, his toothy smirk growing wider. "Let me tell you something, kiddo. The Organization has it's own system, you see? We all operate under Xemnas' order. He chooses only the best of the best to serve him in the quest to take over Heaven. When he gives you an order, you do it right. If not, there's no excuse. Larxene over there, for example, was sent to entice you to join up with us. You obviously know that she failed. What happened to her afterwards, you might ask?" He motioned to the Heartless over Axel's shoulder. "Became a test subject. But it looks to me like Xemnas packed a little too much boom in this one, just like all the others. Usually they're a lot smaller than this one, so he likes to call this one a Neoshadow."

"So there's more of these things."

"Bingo. Heartless are failed experiments that get turned into…'underlings,' if I had to give them a title. They're mostly kept at base until they are stabilized. They're kinda coo-coo for cocoa puffs the first few months after the transformation."

"You know, it's pretty stupid of you to be sharing this information with the enemy, don't you think?"

"Nah. You're gonna become one of us sooner or later." He shrugged. "Might as well get that barrel of monkeys out of the way."

"You sound so confident."

"Like I said, sooner or later, my friend." He gave a toothy smirk.

"Sure, whatever you say… since you're so willing to answer my questions, I've got another one for you. If they're the failed experiments, what's the experiment's goal?"

"Sorry Flamesilocks, but I can't tell you that. Of course," He wiggled his brows as his smirk grew wider. "If you're really that curious, you can always join us and find out."

"I think I'll pass." Axel said, peeved by the nickname that the eye patch-clad Preta had forcefully given him.

"Bummer." He shrugged again. "Oh well. Name's Xigbar, by the way."

"I really don't care."

"Is that any way to treat your savior?"

"I'm about to beat the shit out of my 'savior' if he doesn't get out of here in the next five seconds."

"I like you, kid. You got spirit. Too bad you're probably gonna lose it once your twelve days are up."

Axel's patience was wearing thin. It was a good thing (at least for Xigbar) that the opposing Preta had amazing reflexes, otherwise the chakram that Axel launched at him would have taken his head clear off of his shoulders. Xigbar dodged it by quickly teleporting several feet away, putting more distance in between him and Axel.

"Ooooh, you have no idea how much I'd just love to challenge you." Xigbar smirked, pointing one of his arrow guns towards the redhead. "One day, my friend, I'll face you one on one, and I promise, you will lose." There was a pause before Xigbar sighed. "But not today. I'm stuck playing babysitter." With that, Xigbar smirked before waving farewell. "See ya later, hot stuff!"

"Oh no you don't!" Axel exclaimed as he captured the flying chakram, only to launch himself forward with a stream of fire at his heels as he sailed towards XIgbar, weapons poised for another attack, but just before he could reach impact, Xigbar disappeared into a dark corridor and taking Larxene – or rather, the Neoshadow – along with him. Axel growled in frustration as he stopped himself from running right into the side of the hay barn by rolling forward, the wild fire that had trailed behind him quickly burning out into cinders.

He threw his chakrams down on the ground in sheer rage as he got to his feet, metal clanging together loudly as they hit the solid ground before dissolving into thin air. The angered Preta then proceeded to throw his fist into the side of the barn, denting the metal frame notably. He thought for sure when he and Roxas left Pennsylvania that the Organization would have to scramble to try to locate him again, giving him and Roxas those eight days of worry-free freedom they both needed in more ways than one. That damned Heartless blew his cover!

_Xion said that Xemnas would try to drag Roxas into this_, Axel thought as he clenched his teeth tightly and went for another punch in the same spot, successfully piercing through the metal frame and leaving a gaping hole in the side of the barn. _Why did it have to attack Roxas first? He has nothing to do with this! This is all my fault! _

With that realization, Axel's fists of fiery fury suddenly became limp. His shoulders slumped, guilt hitting him with so much force it was almost like his own hair was drooping in sadness. He took a step forward before bracing himself against the wall with one arm, looking down at the sandy ground beneath his feet.

"This is my fault." Axel repeated aloud softly, as if he couldn't accept it until the words were out in the open for the world to hear. If only he didn't decide to linger at the clock tower just a little bit longer. If only he had been more convincing in his 'obnoxious and annoying' act. If only he hadn't fallen for Roxas. A ghost, an apparition, a demon, allowed himself to mindlessly become charmed by the innocence and kind nature of a mere human. He knew he was breaking so many rules, crossing so many boundaries, putting not only his redemption at risk, but the safety of an innocent soul. All because he was lonely. A pathetic, lonely demon.

Axel had a few things he was afraid of, and all with good reason, such as airplanes, dogs, etc. But there was nothing more intense than his hatred and fear of loneliness. It was now that Axel began to realize that the terror that came from the thought of being alone always him into dangerous situations that would cost him the most precious things in his life and his own life itself. It was selfish and self-centered. He stood there for a while, thinking, staring silently. He had to find a solution. He had to find the answer. He had to find one for everything. The answer that would keep Roxas safe from the peril soon to come. If he couldn't save the other lives that meant so much to him in the past, he would find a way to at least save his best friend's.

* * *

It had been two months after Axel and Leon began their friendship, and Axel was beginning to feel an honest hope within him for the first time, not just about his companionship, but his outlook on life was starting to become more optimistic. He didn't realize that having a real friend could change him so much for the better. He was noticeably happier, smiled more, and didn't seem to lose his temper so easily while at work. Even Aerith was enjoying Axel's chipper attitude – it meant her big brother would be a little more likely to agree to play house with her than he used to.

It got to the point where it almost felt like he had known Leon for a long time, maybe even years. On the weekends, Axel and Aerith would come over to the shop after hours and hang out with the Müller duo (Leon and Zack's last name) until well into the night. There were times that Leon and Zack came to Axel's apartment, but despite the fact that Leon and he were friends, he still couldn't help but feel somewhat inferior to him. It was an insecurity Axel didn't dare to make known, but he couldn't shake it, either. So he tried in other ways to outdo himself to 'compensate,' such as try to out-drink Leon whenever they got their hands on alcohol, beat him at cards, etc. He also tried to help Leon organize his shop a little better. Leon always turned up his nose and refused Axel's help, but Axel would just go ahead and start tearing the shelves apart anyway. Needless to say, Leon started to notice that fewer and fewer customers were leaving from his store aggravated like they had in the past. Not that Leon would thank Axel for it.

Axel began to question himself as to why he found it necessary to show out for Leon. What did he have to prove? What was his motive? There was no point in trying to 'prove himself' to him anymore, since they were good friends. So why would he always go the extra mile to try to impress him? Axel excuse was that he was new to the whole 'friend' thing and was trying to make a good impression, at least for a little while. As time went by, Axel's thoughts and opinions on Leon were starting to become hazy, like they weren't his own, and he had no idea what it meant. All he knew is that he always looked forward to seeing him on those occasional moments during the weekday and then during the weekends. He would never say he was giddy about it. Never.

One very late afternoon, Mrs. Guntram invited Aerith to spend the night with her to help bake cookies and other pastries. She had done so several times before in the past, so Axel had no problem with it. After a big goodbye hug, Axel left his younger sister in the elderly woman's care and retreated back to the comfort of his own apartment, though feeling a little bored without Aerith skittering about, he was thankful for a night of quiet peace for a while. He sat at the kitchen table, the radio humming softly with the combination of music and slight static as he played Solitaire. The silence and lack of stimulation had reduced him into a trance-like state, mechanically moving the cards to their appropriate spots while his thoughts wandered elsewhere. Occasionally, he wondered what Leon was up to on this slow night. A tiny part of him wanted to go see if Leon was busy, but he figured a night to himself would be good for him.

At least until there was a knock on the door. His brow scrunched together as he looked over his shoulder at the door, wondering if he had imagined the knocking or not. When the noise resumed, Axel carefully placed his cards on the table, feeling a mixture of curiosity and instinctive dread. He never got visitors at this hour, except for one kind – and Axel prayed that whoever it was at the door was not one of the Gestapo, for whatever reason they were back to accuse him of something else. He gingerly laid his hand on the doorknob, wanting to open slowly at first, but then realized that it would make him look guilty of something. With a deep breath to calm his nerves, Axel opened the door in one fluid motion.

"Took you long enough." A familiar scarred brunette grunted, dressed in one of his tan colored trench coats with a gray scarf hanging from his neck loosely.

"Oh… hey Leon." Axel said, the initial "Oh thank god" internal sigh breaking free before the questions began. Leon had never actually come to his apartment alone before – Axel and Leon always walked back from the store here, and usually had Zack with him. From the looks of it, Zack was nowhere to be found.

"Got a minute? I could use your help with something." Leon asked.

"Sure. I've got nothing else better to do."

"Where's Aerith?"

"At Mrs. Guntram's, baking."

"Oh. Well good. I got a new shipment of goods in at the shop and I want you to help me unload it."

"I dunno," Axel drawled as he casted his gaze longingly over his shoulder upon his kitchen table. "I mean, I was just in the middle of the most amazing game of Solitaire." He then felt a firm yet playful punch on his shoulder.

"Shut up and get your jacket, _Dupek._"

"Bloody hell, will you just tell me what the heck 'Duckpet' means?"

"That's not how you say it, moron."

"I don't care how you say it or how it's spelled, you call me that stupid name but you won't tell me what it means. I'm not doing shit for you until you tell me what it means."

"Does it really bother you that much?"

"Yes."

"Aw, look, he's throwing a tantrum because he's monolingual."

"And you're a dick for taking advantage of people's ignorance."

"Seriously, the delivery truck isn't going to wait for you to pick out which one of your shiny high heels goes with your favorite party dress. I'm on a time regiment here. Are you gonna help me or not?" Axel swelled up as he glared at Leon, who returned with his own icy blue stare. It lasted for all of five seconds before Axel retreated back inside his apartment to look for his coat.

They walked back to Leon's shop and began to unload the goods, and got all of it out of the truck and inside the store just after sunset. Now was the matter of unpacking all of it and stocking it up on the shelves. Axel went into 'isle organization' overdrive and began tearing apart the shelves again to reorganize everything. Leon helped at first, but then resigned to perching himself on one of the large fruit crates and watching the redhead have at it himself. There was silence for a while until Leon started to talk.

"Did you hear?"

"Hear about what?" Axel replied blandly, his attention still focused on the task at hand, almost too much to really notice that Leon was slacking off.

"About the rally coming up next week."

"What rally?" A tired sigh escaped from the brunette's lips.

"Apparently the Gestapo thinks we aren't taking them seriously enough. So they say that there's going to be a rally to help to 'eliminate the radicals.' Basically it's going to be a scare rally. Probably going to get some Nazi higher ups to come as 'special guests' and give a speech about how we should be so loyal and faithful to Germany because they're protecting us from the Jewish menace." He laced sarcasm within his explanation blatantly.

"And I care about this because?"

"Dunno. Its just news I guess. They're probably going to force attendance if it happens here and not in the next town over."

"Looks like I'm faking sick that day then."

"How come?"

"Leon, why the hell would I want to go to a pro-Nazi scare rally? That's like asking me if I'd like to go stick my head in a toilet."

"I don't know, you're German, right?"

"Just because I'm German doesn't mean I have to share the same ideals as that psychopath Hitler." Axel couldn't help but grit his teeth as he stopped what he was doing and turned to face Leon, a medley of hurt and anger laced in his tone and reflecting in his eyes. "I'm surprised you'd ask me something like that. Where the heck did that come from?" Leon scowled, averting his gaze as he contemplated his reply. There was a bitter silence until that moment arrived.

"Don't get pissy with me about this. Most Polish fit Germans into that stereotype with the Nazis around here."

"Are you calling me a Nazi?" Axel narrowed his eyes threateningly. How could he say something like that? Axel couldn't understand why, but the thought of Leon thinking he was some kind of mindless Nazi hurt him deeply, making his chest hurt with disappointment. _Leon better choose his next words wisely_.

"No, I'm not calling you a Nazi." Leon growled. "It's just the stereotype. When most Polish think of Germans, their first thought is 'Nazi.' Hence why I gave you so much shit the first time I met you. Since I've gotten to know you I know you're nothing like them, but I just wanted to be absolutely sure. I want nothing to do with them. Don't get upset with me for being cautious around those I have relations with. These days it's hard to trust people at all."

"I guess I see your point." Axel said flatly, folding his arms at his chest. "But no. I don't agree with Hitler or anything that comes out of the Nazi party's mouth. That's why my family came to Poland in the first place. There's nothing wrong with Jews. They aren't 'impure' or 'savage.' Hitler's whole issue with them is nothing but a personal prejudice. There's no point to any of his accusations of their wrongdoings. They're just the poor souls that got chosen in a twisted political game of 'Who is the Scapegoat?'"

"Be glad we're inside, because you'd get shot for saying something like that." Leon grinned, that smile his gift of an apology. "Sorry about all of that. Just wanted to know what kind of person the man tearing my store apart is."

"I'll forgive you if you'll get up off your lazy butt and help me." With that, Axel turned his attention back to the shelves. Leon shook his head and pushed himself up to his feet and aided his friend in such a painstaking process of sorting through expired food items and putting the freshest on the shelves in a particular order. It took all of three hours to complete.

Leon's statement kept bugging Axel the entire time. He thought they knew each other well enough that Leon wouldn't have to ask him something like that. For a few moments, Axel was afraid that Leon was going to reject him. The thought terrified him. He couldn't imagine having to go back to being alone again after being this close to someone. Leon made him feel like someone else that wasn't a family member actually gave a damn about his existence. Isn't that what a friend was for?

Axel's original intent was to leave after they were finished, but he found himself sitting on another empty fruit crate across from Leon, the two of them talking the night away. They were both tired, but that didn't hinder their abilities to talk about anything and everything wrong with the present society. The topic of conversation drifted off every once in a while, but it always came back to the same rebellious topic, all sparked by Leon's rally statement. It was a topic that both of them seemed pretty interested in expressing their own opinion – from a Polish has-been rich boy storeowner to a hardworking jaded German. They both knew that the night was growing old, but for some reason, they just kept talking, kept laughing, neither one of them really wanting to do much of anything else. Either it was a very interesting topic or they were just two lonely people milking out as much socialization as possible before they would ultimately end up alone again, at least for a little while.

When the conversation finally drew to a close, Leon offered to walk with Axel back to the apartment. The streets were dangerous at night, especially with Gestapo on the patrol. If they were dangerous during the day, it was ten times worse at night; they could stop you and then gang up on an unsuspecting victim for no reason or motive at all under the shadowy cloak of nightfall. Besides, their new conversation was a little more politically friendly – they began to exchange stories of their childhood. So without much thought, Axel agreed.

The more they talked as they walked down the street, the more Axel felt like he and Leon were so much alike, despite the fact that they were born on two different sides of the social spectrum. Yet they both somehow managed to end up in the same city, the same situation, the same problems, the same life. Axel wondered if this was just coincidence… or if it was meant to happen.

At last, they arrived on the porch of Axel's apartment complex. But Leon wasn't finished with one of his stories. They stood there for a few minutes as Leon finished, to which Axel laughed and replied with a story of his own. Halfway through, there was an unspoken agreement to continue onwards, and Axel kept on talking while they went inside and ascended up the staircase to their destination. Just as Axel was done, he realized he was at his door. But Leon decided to crack a sarcastic, smartass remark about Axel's story, and thus began a verbal exchange of insults and playful arguing. After one final fit of soft laughter, they both took a moment to calm themselves before addressing the final goodbye for the night.

"Thanks again for your help, Axel." Leon said.

"No problem. If you need help with the next one, just let me know. And maybe in the future I won't have to hold your hand while you figure out how to organize your shelves." Axel retorted with a perked brow.

"I get more crap from you about how I run my store than I do from Zack." He grunted.

"Kid's got his heart in the right place then." Axel chuckled. Leon replied with a kick in the shin, and Axel feigned excruciating pain. Pause for some more laughter.

"Anyway, I'm still sorry about what I said earlier." Leon continued in a slightly solemn tone.

"Don't worry about it. I understand where you're coming from, being native here and all. I just hope you still don't think I'm a bad person just because I'm German." Axel wasn't quite sure why or what came over him, but he actually smiled a very sincere and submissive smile as he spoke. It was his own way of confirming whether or not Leon thought any less of him.

"No, not at all, man." Leon shook his head as he stuffed his hands into his trench coat pockets. "I guess Germans aren't bad apples like some people believe."

"I'm glad I was able to prove you wrong."

"Me too." Something in the back of Axel's mind whispered quietly in the back of his mind that something was amiss at the soft, almost kind tone that Leon used with his reply. This feeling was only enhanced as Axel's eyes met Leon's, and the voice in Axel's head got louder. An awkward silence sliced between the two, and Axel took that as his signal to end the conversation right there. He felt nervous, anxious, and he couldn't really understand why. Was it because of what Leon said? Or how he suddenly looks as much of a lonely man as he? Axel's hand instinctively reached for the doorknob.

"It's getting late, I should probably turn in for the night." Axel dramatically stretched with one arm and yawned as the other hand on the doorknob twisted it open.

"Yeah, I should probably head back too, see if Zack's alright. He was asleep before you came over a while ago." Leon replied without missing a beat.

"You do that. Goodnight, I'll see you later." Axel hoped he didn't sound too abrupt with his farewell, but something told him that there was something different about Leon just then, something he had never seen before.

"See ya." Leon gave a nod before turning around to head back down the stairs. Axel breathed a soft sigh of relief as he turned around to open his door all the way and retreat to the comfort of his own bed that he would actually have to himself for once. Yet with one foot in the door, Leon's footsteps came to a halt.

"Axel?" The redhead heard his scarred friend say his name, and with his mind already seduced with the thought of belly-flopping into a soft bed for a good night's sleep and sleeping in until noon, his feelings of nervousness were drowned out and he didn't see what was coming next. Poor men with their one-track minds.

"Huh?" Axel turned around to find Leon was suddenly a lot closer than the few feet that Axel had originally thought was in between him and the brunette when he had first turned around.

If a person's heart and brain could both spontaneously combust at the same time, that was definitely what happened to Axel. He couldn't come to terms with had happened, he wouldn't allow himself to until it was over, and like mouse desperately trying to flee the wrath of a hungry feline, made the quickest escape he possibly could into the safety of his own apartment, slamming the door behind him and locking the door before falling back against the paint-chipped door. The deafening thud of pumping blood rang in his ears, his chest nearly exploding from rapid heartbeat, his green eyes shrinking to the size of the tip of a pencil. He gripped his pounding chest with a shaky hand; his breath shallow as his lanky figure slowly slumped down onto the floor, his back sliding along the door as he sat down, staring blankly at the floor.

Leon had kissed him.

* * *

_**-Shifty eyes. Coughs.-**_

_**The next chapter will be out soon. **__**I do apologize if I make any Final Fantasy character (including but not limited to Aerith, Zack, Leon, Cloud, etc.) seem in any way OOCish, but like I've stated before, I have not had the luck or opportunity to play most FF games. So I only really know whatever is in KH, which isn't very much. So please don't kill me (Method to my madness! You all know this!). I will get around to playing them eventually! **_


	27. The Cherry That Got Away

"Hey! How did everything go down there?" Yuffie cheerfully greeted Axel as he stepped out from a swirling corridor at the top of the round hay bales inside another hay barn on the other side of the lagoon, safely out of the way from the mess with the Heartless not too long ago. There wasn't very much light up there, but it was enough for him to see Yuffie and be able to see his way around the top of the stacks before he fell off the side. He just had to be careful not to step fall into one of the holes made by the round bales being stacked against each other.

"It's gone, everything's all right." Axel assured her as he looked about for his little blonde friend. "Where's Roxas? Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's right over there," She pointed to a hay bale a few yards away, and when Axel squinted enough, he was able to make the faint outline of a silhouette of Roxas' body. "He didn't have any bad injuries, he just got scratched real good by that varmint on the back of is leg. Nothing I couldn't fix, of course." Yuffie beamed. "Poor thing passed out from shock. It scared him more than it did hurt him, in other words."

_Thank goodness,_ Axel said to himself, feeling a burden being lifted off of his shoulders. Roxas was safe. At least for now. Nonetheless, he wanted to see for himself. Effortlessly he leaped across a gap in between the hay bale he stood on to the one beside the bale Roxas was laying on, coming to sit down on his knees as he looked over Roxas carefully. He was still in a shock slumber, but other than that, he looked okay.

"Hey," Axel whispered softly as he gave Roxas' golden hair a gentle tussle and massaged his scalp with his fingertips, pretty sure that Roxas couldn't hear him, but he spoke anyway. "I'm sorry you had to get involved in all of this." His eyes slowly traced downwards, past his full, thick eyelashes, his pouting lips, that soft, sweet neck, just taking in Roxas. "You deserve a lot better than this."

"You're really sweet to him, you know that?" Yuffie interrupted out of nowhere, making Axel's shoulders brisk as he threw a glare at the female Preta that materialized onto the other haybale beside him.

"What of it?"

"Nothing, really. I just think it's really cute." Yuffie smiled. "It's nice to know Roxas has got someone like you to look after him."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of failing at that." Axel said bitterly.

"No you aren't, you're doing the best you can." Yuffie's giddy tone suddenly softened. "Besides, you've only got a few days left with him, right?"

"How do you know that?" Axel immediately became defensive, his fingers crackling with embers.

"Hey! Be careful with that fire!" Yuffie reprimanded as she swatted at one of his arms. "You'll burn the whole barn down!"

"I asked you a question, and I advise you to answer it."

"Touchy touchy! It doesn't take that long to patch up a mere scratch with Cure." Yuffie stated matter of factly as she stuck her chin upward in a snooty fashion and crossed her arms at her breasts. "I did a little eavesdropping when you were talking with that Xigbar guy. He said something about your twelve days being up. What's that all about?" Axel rolled his eyes, the embers dying way and he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. He really didn't see why telling Yuffie about his situation would do him any good, but he went ahead and did so, mostly just to pass the time until Roxas woke up.

When he was finished explaining to her the situation, she had a serious expression on her normally cheerful face and was tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"I'm confused." She stated.

"About what?" Axel said.

"Why are you so special? I mean, you're a Preta just like any other Preta, right? Why would this Xemnas guy want you to be apart of his group so badly?"

"A friend of mine told me it was because I ticked him off."

"But if someone made me mad, I'd want them dead, not be my best friend, if you get what I'm saying."

"I guess that makes sense."

"There's gotta be something we're missing here. A missing element. A missing puzzle piece. The missing-!"

"I get it Yuffie, I get it." Axel cut in abruptly with a huff.

"Sorry." Yuffie giggled.

"But really, I'm trying not to get hung up on the 'what' or 'why' of this whole deal. All I know is something's going to happen in a few days, and I might disappear." Axel sighed. "So I'm trying to spend as much time as I can with Roxas as I can. But since we've been here, things have been getting in the way. And I know how much Roxas really wanted to come back to Georgia and spend the break with his friends, but I want Roxas and I to spend as much time together as possible. And I can't really do that like this."

"Aww, this is so sad," Yuffie pouted. "It's like a romantic tragedy! Like Romeo and Juliet! Two lovers that can't be together because they aren't from the same family-! Well, um… plane of existence, then! Except, um… there's no marriage…and there's no bald priest… and hopefully neither of you die in the end?"

"…You need to get that checked out. Seriously."

"Get what checked out?"

"Nevermind." Axel facepalmed and shook his head. He could only take so much of Yuffie…

"Wait!" The female Preta exclaimed as she thrusted a pointed finger into the air. "I have an idea!"

"Please don't tell me that I have to go poison myself." Axel groaned as he hung his head.

"No, silly! Why would I want you to do that? !" Axel was seriously considering slamming his head against the wall.

"What is it, Yuffie, before my last brain cell falls victim to your…whatever you want to call it."

"Why don't you wait until the quail supper at Roxas' cabin and cast a good old fashioned Preta illusion and make yourself visible to everyone there? That way you can still hang out with Roxas and I'm pretty sure Roxas would love to show you off to his friends."

"The last time I did that, it was with five people and I felt like I ran a marathon." Axel said flatly as he adjusted his position so he was cross-legged and rested his elbow on his knee, propping his cheek up with his hand.

"…Yeah, that illusion's pretty tricky if you don't practice it a lot." Yuffie said as she brought her pointing finger of victory down to rest in her lap, her slender black brows scrunching up in thought.

"I doubt I can train myself fast enough to be able to handle a large group of people in two days."

"Oh, wait, I've got just the thing!" Yuffie started to dig through her pockets, Axel looking on with apathy until she withdrew from one of her pockets what looked like a silver chain.

"What's that?" Axel asked with peaked interest. Yuffie held up the chain so it was dangling from her middle finger, a small charm the size of a quarter hanging from it, making the object look like a thin silver necklace. The charm was tear-shaped, and looked like it was made from a snow white opal.

"It's a super special charm necklace I got from an elderly Preta I met a long time ago. He told me that in a past life, he used to be an angel, and he found this necklace laying in the dirt in Heaven one day and managed to carry over with him when he became a Preta." Yuffie laid the necklace in Axel's empty palm. "He gave it to me when I was a really young Preta and didn't know how to master my illusions and magic powers. It's supposed to enhance your magic abilities and make them easier to handle. I'm going to let you borrow it so you can use it to go to the supper with Roxas. You should be able to cast your illusion easily if you wear this."

"Huh." Axel examined the necklace closely (at least as well as he could in the poor lighting.) There didn't seem to be anything special about it, but he figured that it was worth a shot. Just as he finished putting the necklace around his neck and tucking it under his black coat, Roxas began to stir. All conversation between the two damned Pretas ceased as Roxas sluggishly brought his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes.

"Nngh…Axel?" Roxas said as he opened his eyes, seeing the familiar outline of spiky red hair through the darkness out of the corner of his eye.

"Have a nice nap, Roxy?" Axel chuckled as he scooted a little closer to the teen, watching him as he blinked dumbly until his eyesight began to adjust to the dim light in the hay barn.

"Nap…?" Roxas grunted as he moved to sit up straight, rubbing his forehead with his palms before brushing his fingers through his hair, pulling out strands of hay from the back of his head. "Huh…wait, the hay barn…" His eyes suddenly widened as he quickly lifted up his leg to look at the back of his calf, which he swore had been bleeding, but it looked as if nothing had happened at all. A skeptical hand touched the skin to confirm his suspicions. "But, I was being chased, and it cut me-"

"I took care of it, Roxas, calm down." Axel reached out and hugged him, squeezing him as he nuzzled his face into his hair, hoping that the loud gurgle he heard was just in his head and not a result of his poor, enchanted stomach.

"You did? Oh." Roxas' tense form became relaxed and maneuvered around just a little so he could scoot into the redhead's lap, thankful and happy that Axel was able to get him to safety tend to his leg so Uncle Cid wouldn't flip a shit about the nasty wound it would have left behind otherwise. As he did, another figure caught his eye that was sitting a few feet away from Axel. "Who's that?"

"Who?" Axel said, having forgotten that Yuffie was still there, still caught up in the allure of how nice Roxas' hair was smelling just then along with the smell of hay.

"Hi there! Yuffie's the name!" Yuffie waved enthusiastically at her acknowledgement, smiling brightly. Roxas narrowed his eyes at the newcoming Preta, trying to get a better look at her.

"…I think I've seen you somewhere before." Roxas said, sounding surprised, even at himself for saying that. That definitely caught Axel's attention.

"Wait, you have?" Axel said, looking from Roxas to Yuffie.

"Of course he has!" Yuffie nodded. "I told you before, Axel, I used to look after him when he was just a little boy!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you had to be visible to him for you to do that."

"I remember you." Roxas said, his curious eyes growing wide. "Holy crap… you were my imaginary friend when I was little!"

"Not so imaginary, am I?" Yuffie giggled. Roxas heard Axel make a loud 'harrumph.'

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked as he poked Axel's arm.

"I thought I was the one to pop your Preta-seeing cherry." He pouted. Roxas and Yuffie looked at each other and bursted into hysterical laughter. Axel opened his mouth to say something, but knew he would be drowned out by the two childhood 'buddies' yowling, so he swelled up and crossed his arms.

"Sorry about that, Axel!" Yuffie finally said after the tear-jerking laughter had dwindled down into snickers and giggles.

"Bah." Axel stuck his nose up in the air.

"I'm kind of…surprised… I didn't make the connection…when I first met Axel." Roxas said between breaths.

"I'm sure that Yuffie was the last thing on your mind when you were stunned by how awesome I was." Axel beamed.

"…Actually, I thought you looked kind of creepy."

"…You two are no fun." Axel pouted again, shrinking backwards to escape from the two of them and their ego-bashing.

"No, don't!" Roxas lurched backwards to grab Axel by the hem of his coat and drag himself to the Preta. "I thought that at first, but I like the way you look. Don't be mad at me." Axel's eyes tapered as he gave Roxas a doubting look, to which Roxas replied with his own, scarcely used pout. Axel's eye gave a twitch, a slight twitch, and suddenly snatched Roxas by the arm. Before Roxas knew it, he somehow ended up pinned down beneath a smirking redhead that had a look in his eye that spoke of horrible yet incredibly kinky things.

"If you ever do that again, I can't guarantee the safety of your virginity." Axel sneered.

"Whoa now, what the heck just happened here? !" Yuffie became alarmed, raising her hands up in the air defensively.

"I'd like to know the same thing!" Roxas exclaimed as he tried to wiggle free, but Axel tightened his grip of his thighs around Roxas' waist, making it impossible for him to escape. Axel chuckled evilly, admiring Roxas' current position, making the blonde blush.

"Aw, come on, I think I could definitely go for a roll in the hay."

"That was terribly cliché and you know it!" Roxas huffed as he continued to struggle.

"I don't care. Roxas Sexy Time NOW."

"Oooohkay, I'll see you guys later!" Yuffie made a quick getaway from the scene that was about to unfold by escaping into the safety of a corridor. Roxas' face was red from his blush spilling to the rest of his face as he continued to struggle, preparing for the worst. _Oh dear god, not that teacher Axel dream again…! …Huh?_

"Finally!" Axel exclaimed in victory as he flopped over beside Roxas, any desire to rape him flying out the window. "I thought she'd never leave."

"You faked all of that?" Roxas asked, a small piece of him feeling greatly disappointed. Axel turned his head to look at Roxas as he laughed.

"Kind of." The Preta turned over and coiled an arm around Roxas' waist and pulled him closer, his other hand propping his head up. "But I was serious about that pout you just did. Seriously. That was sexy."

"I don't want to talk about this!" Roxas covered his face with his hands to hide his red face from the grinning Preta looming over him.

"Oh come now," Axel said, leaning down to scatter soft kisses on the back of Roxas' hands like small apologies until the teen finally moved his hands to share a tender kiss. As they parted, Axel curled up closer to the blonde and laid his head beside Roxas', cheeks touching. "As much as I'd like to just have my way with you, I'd never make you do something you didn't want to do."

"I know." Roxas' eyes slid to a close, feeling he could just take another nap right here curled up next to Axel like this. His presence was so warm and comforting, he hated that he was so busy that he couldn't enjoy it as often as he'd like to. Maybe now, just for a little while, it could just be Roxas Axel Snuggle Time.

"Are you falling asleep on me?" Axel asked, having noticed Roxas' peaceful expression.

"No." Roxas turned over so he could bury his face into the base of Axel's neck, tucked up under the redhead's chin. "Just sorry I haven't been able to spend that much time with you while we've been here… I feel bad about it."

"Don't be." Axel rubbed Roxas' back gently, kissing the crown of the blonde's head. "I have a solution for that."

"Really? What?"

"It's a surprise."

"That's no fun."

"It will be once you know what it is."

"But I want to know now."

"Sorry. No can do."

"What if I pout for you again?"

"Then it looks like you'll be losing your virginity in a hay barn."

"...What if I don't mind that?" Roxas mumbled incoherently, certain that Axel couldn't hear him. But oh, Axel heard him, all right.

"What did you say?" Axel said, his eyes wide.

"Nothing."

"Oh, but I think you did."

"I said nothing of importance."

"I think I just heard a statement of consent."

"You heard no such thing." Instead of a verbal response, Roxas let out a sound of surprise as Axel licked his face. "Yuck! Why did you do that? !"

"Tell me what you really said, then."

"No!"

"Are you sure that's your final answer?"

"This is not Who Wants to Be a Millionare, Axel – woah!" Roxas flinched as Axel licked him again, only this time, it was the length of his neck.

"What did you say?" Axel purred as he started to nip on the tender skin of Roxas' neck. Roxas knew he wouldn't be able to stand it if things went much further- if they ended up messing around and he fell down one of the holes, that was a bit longer than a thirteen foot drop, and it would definitely not end well!

"Okay okay, I said that! Stop it, not here, please." Roxas whined as he pushed Axel's head away from his neck.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah…"

"…You sure?"

"…I said yeah."

"Okay." Axel laid his head back down, completely uninterested in the subject. He could feel Roxas staring at him. "What?"

"..That's it?"

"For now, yes." Axel nodded. "Believe me, it makes me very happy to know you would want to, but I'm going to leave the when and how totally up to you."

"Really?"

"Mhm. That way when it happens, it'll be when you're most comfortable with it." Roxas couldn't help but smile at Axel's thoughtfulness, snuggling up under the Preta's chin once again and feeling Axel's arms coil around him firmly. "Sexy time can wait. Right now is snuggle time."

"I agree." Roxas said as he closed his eyes, feeling Axel's breath ruffle his hair like a warm breeze and his hands stroke his back gently, and he felt like he was almost melting. _Uncle Cid can wait for a few more minutes. Or maybe fifteen. Okay, thirty._

* * *

"Bye Mrs. Guntram!" Aerith said to the elderly woman standing at her doorway as she raced up the stairs towards her own apartment, her little arms full with her clothes from the day before, her pajamas, and a plate of freshly baked cookies and stollen* that Mrs. Guntram had given her as a thanks for helping her out with baking the night before. There was enough on the plate for both her and Axel, and she couldn't wait to give some to her big brother. She just knew he'd love them.

Once she reached the front door, she suddenly became aware of her heavy burdens in both of her arms, and decided to do what she had seen Axel do several times when he had a huge load and try to knock on the door with her foot. She wasn't very experienced with this technique, so she ended up stumbling backwards a little as she lifted one foot due to imbalance. Luckily, she didn't fall, so with a huff, she put the plate on the floor and knocked on the door.

"Axel! I'm home!" The child called out. Several moments passed, and he didn't come to the door. She frowned as she knocked again, this time, a little louder. Still no response. Aerith was beginning to get frustrated. After one last attempt, she tried the futile attempt to try to open the door herself. She was certain it would be locked, because Axel was always paranoid like that.

But this time, the door was unlocked, and opened. She wasn't too worried about it at first, and reached down to grab the plate up off the floor and push her way through the front door.

"Axel! I called you three-"

"Ahhhh!" Axel yelled in shock as he jumped up out of the chair at the kitchen the table, making it fall back and hit the floor with an even louder slam. The combination of the two loud noises frightened the skittish Aerith, making her cry out in fear and drop everything at her feet, the sound of a plate hitting the ground joining the chorus of loud noises. She flinched and squeezed her eyes shut tightly as she backed up behind the door.

She heard the shuffling of quick, uneven footsteps, then followed by a string of quiet curses from Axel.

"Mausi? I'm so sorry," Axel's voice invaded the darkness behind her closed eyelids, the door creaking as he opened the door further. "Everything's okay, you just startled me a little. It's okay," She opened up one of her eyes slightly to see Axel's arms reach out for her and gather her up in his arms and give her a firm hug. Though she knew that there was no danger, tears began to form in the corners of her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry, y-you didn't c-come to the d-door and I ju-ust…" Aerith whimpered.

"No, you've got nothing to be sorry for, don't apologize. You just startled me is all. Don't cry, Mausi." Axel's arms tightened around the girl's frame, his voice pleading. Aerith nestled her head on her big brother's shoulder, the comforting warmth of Axel slowly making her sniffles subside.

After Aerith had settled down, Axel planted a kiss on the top of her forehead. She reached up and wiped her misty eyes and looked up at Axel, her nose scrunching up.

"Why are your eyes so dark?" She asked meekly.

"Huh?" Axel replied sluggishly, unwrapping one of his arms from around her and reaching up to rub one of his eyes, feeling the sting from the lack of sleep. She must have been talking about the dark circles under his eyes that made him look like he had gotten punched in the face whenever he didn't get enough sleep. His face was probably as white as a sheet, too. "Oh, I just didn't get much sleep last night."

"Why?"

"I…uh…had a stomach ache."

"Oh. Well, maybe my cookies-" Aerith started off brightly with a hopeful smile before it sank into another frown. "…Uh oh."

"What is it?"

"I dropped the cookies…" Axel could see her bottom lip quivering again. He completely released his grip on her and looked over his shoulder at the stuff behind him lying on the floor that Aerith had dropped.

"Let's take a look." He turned around from his crouched down position and picked up the plate that had hit the floor, about three treats still resting on it, despite the huge crack that was going down the middle of the plate and stopping near the center. The rest of the snacks lay scatted on the floor or sitting on top of the bundle of clothes. He quickly picked up what was salvageable and placed them back on the plate. "Look, they're still okay. These are the treats you made with Mrs. Guntram, right?"

"Mhm." Aerith nodded as she walked around to Axel's side and picked up a piece of the sliced stollen from the plate and offered it to him. "Maybe your tummy will feel better if you have some."

"Can't disagree with that." Axel smiled a little, trying to sound better than he really felt.

Axel couldn't sleep that night, either. Or the night after that. His thoughts were totally consumed with the memory of Leon kissing him over and over again, and no matter what he tried to busy himself with, he couldn't get it out of his head. It ate away at his very being just thinking about it. But it wasn't the fact that Leon kissed him that bothered him the most.

Growing up, Axel didn't have very many opportunities to approach women. As a child, girls always had 'cooties,' the common mentality of little boys his age. When Aerith came into the picture, he was too concerned about trying to take care of her and being the best big brother he could be to think much about girls. When he ended up becoming Aerith's guardian, any thought he might have had of pursuing a relationship with a girl died along with his family. He couldn't even think of a time when he ever showed interest in women. He was too concerned with just trying to survive to care. Sure, now a days he met women on a daily basis at the food bank, whether they were volunteers or clients, but none of them ever stood out to him. Women were just…. not interesting. So that meant Axel had never kissed a woman before, let alone a man.

He avoided Leon for a week. Mostly because he had to straighten things out in his head first. Aerith seemed concerned, asking why she couldn't go play with Zack that weekend, but Axel just sent her to stay with Mrs. Guntram for the weekend while he sorted things out. So, a week had gone by, and there Axel sat at his kitchen table once again, just like he had done a week before, but this time there was no music or cards. He sat there holding his head in his hands, elbows resting on the surface as the scene played over and over again in his head.

_Why did this happen… I don't understand… Just…why?_ Axel questioned himself over and over again_. I mean, I guess I like having Leon around, but… did he think I liked him like that? What did I do to make him think that? I have no idea… maybe I smiled too much? I must have flirted without meaning to… not like I would even know what the heck flirting is, I've never had time for that sort of thing_. Axel sat there and tried desperately to either come up with some kind of explanation or try to convince himself that it never happened. But he knew deep down that it had happened, and there was nothing he could do to change that. What was tearing him apart was the fact that the kiss had potentially ruined their friendship. Nothing was ever going to be the same again. He knew that if he ever saw Leon again, he would just picture it happening again, and…

Axel nearly jumped out of his skin when there was a knock on the door. He checked the time on the clock on the wall and saw that it was 5pm. His mind was so consumed in itself that he gave himself the default answer that the one at the door was either Mrs. Guntram to tell him that she had something for him to fix or Aerith to come and get her dress that he had laid out for her to take to wear tomorrow that she forgot to take with her downstairs. Absently, Axel approached the door and opened it.

"Forgot your dress, didn't you?" Axel said with a hollow, fake chuckle, his head looking downward and expecting to see his little sister giving him a guilty smile, but instead met the sight of some nice black penny loafers with a few scratches on the toe of the shoe.

"Axel." Leon's voice sounded very informative. Axel had to swallow the huge lump that had formed in his throat before he could find his voice to speak.

"L-Leon." Axel stammered, doing his very best to not freak out aloud nearly as much as he was freaking out on the inside. His grip on the doorknob tightened, ready to shut the door right in Leon's face if he had to. He instead pushed the door in front of him just a little bit as to provide him some kind of protection, only making half of his face visible. It wasn't much, but it gave him some security. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk." Leon deadpanned, placing his hand on the door and applying some pressure, but he met resistance as Axel put his foot in front of the door so it wouldn't budge.

"I don't want to talk to you." Axel lied. He had so many questions that needed answering. But he also didn't want to come to terms with the fact that their friendship was now over.

"I didn't ask." Leon put his whole weight against the door in an attempt to come inside. Axel did the same, leaving them both at a stalemate.

"Go away, Leon!"

"Stop being so childish!"

"There's nothing childish about me not wanting you here!"

"So I can't even try to explain myself? !"

"No!" Axel gave a particularly harsh shove that was enough to give him a little more power than Leon to shut the door. He quickly locked it before Leon could open it again. The doorknob jiggled violently as Leon tried in a futile effort to open it, grunting in frustration in the process. Axel laid his arm on the back of the door and rested his head on top of it, his mind racing a mile a minute. Everything about this was wrong. Why did it have to be this way?

The jiggling died down a while ago, but Axel could only hear silence. He didn't hear the planks of the floor creak in Leon's departure, so he must still be standing at the door.

"Just go away." Axel said in a much softer, exasperated tone as he closed his eyes, unsure of whether or not Leon could hear him or not.

"Axel." Leon's voice had also dropped a few decibels, yet still maintained its sternness.

"…What."

"Open the door."

"No."

"Come on."

"Why should I? So you can throw yourself at me?"

"Be careful, someone could hear you."

"Like you were careful when you kissed me in the middle of the hallway? Huh? What if someone saw you then?"

"…Just open the door so we can talk about it." Axel gave no response. The silence that passed over the duo seemed to last an eternity. Eventually, Leon gave up and was about to leave until he heard the lock on the door click loudly. The door slowly slid open, Axel only exposing half of his face, the single green eye outlined in redness from fatigue that was visible to Leon sending him a menacing glare.

"Any funny business and I'll knock you out so fast you won't know what hit you. Got it memorized?"

"I got it, just let me in already." Leon growled before he pushed on the door, meeting little resistance as Axel backed off quickly. As the door closed behind Leon, he finally got the chance to see Axel in his entirety, and in all honesty, he wasn't looking too well. He looked more unkempt than usual, and his skin was as white as a sheet of paper. He looked exhausted with his drooping, red eyes and dark circles under his eyelids. Even as he crossed his arms at his chest, his posture seemed to be almost slouching.

"You look like crap." Leon stated blandly, the awkwardness of the situation beginning to creep up on him.

"No shit." Axel spat. "When a guy kisses another guy, it usually tends to mess with your head."

"It's really not that big of a deal."

"Not that big of a deal? !" Axel roared in anger, suddenly lashing out and clenching Leon's collar of his coat and shook him. "Do you have any idea what could have happened if anyone just so happened to come up the stairs or leave their apartment when you pulled that stunt? What if it was Aerith? Or my neighbors? Or my landlady? In case you don't know, Jews aren't the only ones that get sent to concentration camps! They send anyone they think is a menace to the perfect German society, and that includes homosexuals, you idiot!"

"I'm not stupid, I know that!' Leon snarled as he yanked Axel's hands off of him and pushed him away in his defense.

"You could have gotten us both arrested!" Axel continued ranting, unphased, his face becoming redder by the minute. "If anyone reported us, what would happen to Aerith then? ! Who would she have to protect her and take care of her? ! I'll tell you who," Axel went to throw a punch at Leon's face. "Nobody! She would be alone! Alone! And it would be all your fault!"

"Axel, you seriously need to calm down!" Leon was able to dodge the punch and charged forward to push Axel back farther, sending back into the kitchen table, putting considerable distance between the two of them. "Aerith wouldn't be the only one put out because of it. Zack would be alone, too. Don't you think I know that already? You need to stop and start thinking about others besides yourself and your needs for a change, and maybe you'd be a happier person!"

"Don't you dare tell me how to take care of my own life!" Axel went for Leon a third time, but Leon was ready for him. Leon grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him up against the nearby wall, catching the infuriated redhead off guard. Leon was in control.

"You listen here and you listen good." Leon snarled as he tightened his grip on Axel's shoulders, every ounce of Leon's being commanding his full attention. "You can tell yourself as much as you want that you're superior over everyone else when it comes to what's best for their child, sibling, whatever the circumstances are, but how can you know what's good for Aerith when you don't even know what's good for yourself? You're consumed in trying to be the best parent for her that you don't even know what you want anymore. And maybe it's because she's the only family you got left in this world, but you've seriously got to wake up and look at the world around you, man! Other people exist! Other people you can get to know and forage friendships and relationships with that can make you a happier, better person! Would Aerith want you to be lonely? Would she want you to be unhappy? If she's as close to you as you claim she is, then if you're unhappy, then she is. You have to help yourself before you can help others.

Believe it or not, I've been there. I know what it's like to be lonely and think I'm the only one I got. But I got sick of feeling that way. I'm trying to do something about it. What happened a week ago… I wasn't really thinking when it happened. It just happened. I have no excuse other than that. But I can see how you've become a total basket case over it, and for that I'm sorry. I'm just sick of being alone, Axel. And one day, you'll get sick of it too." Axel's seething progressively died down as Leon spoke, though his form stayed rigid and tense as he took in everything the blue-eyed brunette had to say. Once he was finished, Leon released his grip on Axel and backed off, leaving Axel the space he needed to recollect himself and digest it all.

"…I've always hated it when you were right." Axel said solemnly as he rubbed his shoulder, averting his eyes to the floor as he felt the familiar sting of his eyes threatening to become misty.

"You okay?" Leon asked.

"Dunno… just experiencing a huge reality check. I've always known what you said was true, but I guess I needed to hear it from someone else."

"Um… you're welcome then." Neither of them dared to meet each other's gaze, Axel's towards the ground and Leon's towards the door. Neither of them said a word for a while, just standing there and taking in everything that had just happened. After a while, Leon cleared his throat and started making his way towards the door, opening it and taking one step out before Axel's voice stopped him.

"Leon?"

"Hm?" He turned back to look at Axel, who had put all of his weight against the wall he had previously been pinned against, still rubbing his arm as he idly stared at the floor.

"…How did it feel to you?" Axel muttered. Leon's brow furrowed as he slowly closed the door.

"How did what feel?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"The kiss?"

"…Yeah."

"Do you want me to be honest or do you want me to lie?" This question resulted in an unamused stare from the redhead. A smirk wanted desperately to bubble in the corner of Leon's mouth at such a typical response from his tall, lanky friend. "Fine then. Here's your answer; I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? I mean…I guess you either like it or you don't."

"I mean 'I don't know' as in I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it much either, but because I don't know and because I didn't hate it, I wouldn't mind venturing further to be able to make a real verdict. That good enough for you?"

"Not really." Axel lifted a skeptical brow.

"Well, how did you feel about it?"

"…I don't know."

"As in the same 'I don't know' that I said or a different kind?"

"As in an 'I have no fucking idea' I don't know." His voice dwindled into a grumble. "And that's what's been bugging me the most…"

"You know that there's one way to fix that, right?"

"I know- no, it's wrong, it's not natural, I shouldn't like it." Axel shook his head.

"Wrong according to who?"

"Everyone."

"Let me ask you this; if it wasn't for today's society, if it wasn't for the prejudice against it or the risk, how would you feel about it?"

"…I guess it wouldn't be as big of a deal. But it's still not natural, Leon."

"That's not a good excuse and you know it." Leon began walking back towards his confused friend. "I know you, and unless you find an answer, it's going to keep eating at you like this until you become a paranoid hermit over it."

"But Leon-"

"You know what you have to do. But you're the only one who can make the decision whether to do it or not." Axel looked up at Leon, the scarred man standing before him with his hands in his coat pockets, looking completely relaxed and reserved, nothing pressuring about him at all. "You have two options. You can either tell me to leave, which I will, and we can pretend that it never happened. But the guilt and the uncertainty will kill you slowly on the inside. Or, you can kiss me, and we'll just see what happens."

"But what if-"

"Your door is closed and we're on the second story of the complex, and we're nowhere near a window. There is no possible way anyone can see us. Do remember, I do have a shop I should be managing right now, so I would like for this not to take all day."

Axel didn't know what to think about Leon's sudden indifference. It both comforted him and made him nervous. He was so conflicted, he wasn't sure of what the right choice was.

But in the end, it didn't really matter how conflicted he was, because all internal conflict ceased when he came to the abrupt realization that Leon was kissing him again anyway. It was very brief, so before he could come to terms with it, Leon had already pulled away and was laughing.

"You take too damn long." He laughed.

"Shut up." Axel growled, irritated both by Leon's laughter at his indecisiveness and the fact that he wasn't given enough time to figure things out during the 'barely even a kiss.' Axel's pride took over as he reached up and grabbed Leon's collar once again and silenced him with his own kiss.

It was a little awkward at first, but they were quickly able to find a rhythm and stick to it, this becoming a little more fluid and natural. All the while, Axel had mixed feelings. A part of him knew this was wrong and was aware of the consequences of his action that could devastate him, but the other part of him was so curious and dumbfounded by these new feelings that he had never felt before. The kiss was a little longer than the first, but as he pulled away, he still didn't quite know what to make of it.

Blue met green as the two males looked at one another, neither of them really sure of what to say as Axel let go of Leon's collar. Axel's gaze occasionally drifted to Leon's lips as his memory recalled those strange sensations that tickled his spine in the most peculiar way, but they kept coming back to meet Leon's own gaze. The brunette finally gave a small smile.

"So, what's the verdict?" Leon almost sounded teasing.

"Still not sure." Axel said, his tone matching Leon's as his trademark smirk budded on his lips. "I didn't hate it."

"But you didn't like it, either."

"Meh."

"Understandable." Leon nodded, his smile widening into a grin and giving Axel a punch to the shoulder. "But hey, you know I'm game whenever it comes to a challenge. So what do you say?" Axel rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Perhaps this was the chance he needed to take advantage of Leon's advice. All he knew for sure was if he decided to go along with it, they had to keep it completely secret. Any mistake, and they'd both be finished. Was Axel willing to take that risk?

"Bring it on."

* * *

**_A/N: I have fallen down one of those holes made by the round hay bales in the hay barn. Let me tell you, a 13+ foot drop onto concrete (thank god I freaked out and scrambled as I fell so I didn't hit the ground with the concrete with enough force to break anything) is. Not. Fun. At. All. I had to climb out Cuzco style with two sprained ankles. (Emperor's New Groove, anyone?) No one was there to help me out. T-T_**

**_*Stollen- a yeast bread made with dried fruits and dusted lightly with confectioner's sugar- think of it as a German 'fruitcake.'_**


	28. In Plain Sight

_**A/N: I have gotten several reviews from a few readers telling me that they have noticed a decline in the number of reviews I usually get per chapter. Please don't be alarmed by this. **__** I am not too concerned about it – I know that during the weekday, a lot of people are very busy with school, work, and so on, and don't have much time for reading fics until the weekend or so, so the usual crowd I used to get every chapter during the summer is sometimes a slow trickle. **_

_**What does concern me, however, is if there was a lack of reviews due to distaste. If you have a problem with something in this fic that you may find offensive or lead you to no longer want to read, please let me know. Or if you think I need to improve somewhere- that's what reviews are for. (Also note- I know fully well that this fic in the near future might offend those who are sensitive to Holocaust-related topics. If that is the case, let me know. But do know that when the time comes, you were forewarned. It's the Holocaust. I'm **__**not**__** going to sugar coat it. This fic was rated M for a reason.) If you like something, tell me. If you don't, tell me that, too.**_

* * *

***Week 7, Day 42, Wednesday***

***Six Days Remaining***

"I'm not going." Sora declared as he continued to stare blankly at the television screen in the living room, curled up and in a comfortable position with his pajamas on the couch, clearly stating that he was not going to be moving anytime soon.

"Come on Sora, don't be a stick in the mud." Roxas rolled his eyes as he rifled through one of the nightstands beside the couch in search of one of the keys to one of the three four wheelers that Uncle Cid owned to drive over to the Cabin for the afternoon/night's activities.

"I'm not." Sora huffed as he flipped through the channels, looking for something to watch other than NCIS or Scrubs. "I just don't want to go. It's as simple as that."

"But you're going to miss out on all the fun!"

"Fun for you. My friends are back in Pennsylvania, remember?"

"But Tidus is gonna be there." Roxas tried to offer some consolation.

"I can only take so much of him."

"Look, I know you keep saying 'oh I have no friends here' or 'no one likes me,' but have you ever stopped to think that maybe if you put yourself out there that people would notice you and try to connect with you?"

"And here's the pot calling the kettle black." Sora hissed spitefully. Roxas stopped all movement to shoot a glare in Sora's direction.

"That was low. Even for you."

"Start practicing what you preach."

"My situation is totally different from yours."

"Oh really?" Sora mashed the mute button, flinging the remote to sit on his lap as he perched his elbows on top of his crossed legs and leaned forward towards Roxas. "Tell me, oh wise big brother, why your issue with making friends back home is different than the one I have here."

"I actually tried!" Roxa stood upright and pointed an accusing finger at his younger brother. "What did you do? ! After the first few times in grade school, sure, you tried to make friends, but then when you hit 6th grade in middle school you just gave up! You didn't even try to hang out with other people. You always stuck out by yourself or stuck by Tidus."

"I gave up because I was sick of being bullied around by other people because I was 'different.'"

"What makes you different than anyone else around here?"

"I don't know!" Sora exclaimed, his voice cracking it's resolve slightly, taking Roxas by surprise. The tense air around them broke, leaving behind a very heavy and saddening one in it's place as Sora looked like he was ready to bolt from his very spot, his eyes wide, glassy, and filled with hurt. "No one ever told me why! They would just keep telling me I was different! Several of them even told me their parents said I was a problem child and not to associate with me. What exactly did I ever do to become a 'problem child'? I made decent grades, I've never done drugs and I don't drink. What is it that makes me such an Untouchable? Because I have no freaking idea."

"Sora…" The protective elder brother inside Roxas was starting to bleed through his own demeanor, his tone of voice softening. "You never told me any of that. Why? You know I wouldn't have hesitated to-"

"I got tired of you fighting my own battles for me when I was in grade school." Sora crossed his arms and shook his head. "I know you were just trying to help, but believe me, it didn't really work."

"…I'm really sorry."

"…It's fine I guess." Sora slumped back into the couch like a tired old man and gave the blonde a pleading look. "Just please stop asking me to go to the supper or do stuff with the people here, okay? I came here to see Uncle Cid and help out on the farm. That's all. Let me be in peace."

Roxas didn't say much of anything else after that. He quickly found the keys to one of the four wheelers and briefly stated he would be back later before going out the door to leave the brooding brunette to himself, just as he had wished.

Unfortunately, none of the dogs were around to provide him with the smallest hint of comfort one gives from the loving adoration from canine to human, since they had all piled up into Uncle Cid's truck and had gone with their master over to the Cabin already to get things set up. Roxas was only getting ready and making sure via text message of whom all was going to be there. From what he knew, his friends Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus were going to be there, along with several other people that the three of them decided to invite that Roxas knew, but wasn't very close with. Even Seifer was coming, too.

Seifer and Roxas were very close in their younger years. The two of them were like brothers, always looking out for one another and always hanging out on the weekends. But that all changed when Seifer's already unstable home life was shaken with the tremors of divorce. His father had been actively cheating on his mother, and it wasn't until the end of their middle school years that she finally did something about it. Seifer didn't hang out with Roxas that much that summer, and by the time freshman year of high school rolled around, the old Seifer that Roxas had once known was completely different. He became brash and rude towards many people, including Roxas on a few occasions. He began hanging out with a few other people named Fuu and Rai, and they seemed to become their own little posse that constantly got into trouble. Roxas tried his best to stay friends with Seifer, but in the end, the two just drifted apart. They still talked to one another on occasion if they happened to be in the same vicinity, but there wasn't much past that. Despite that, Roxas was somewhat happy that Seifer was going to come. He just sort of hoped that he wouldn't bring Fuu and Rai with him.

Roxas was halfway towards the shed when he realized that he was missing something very important. A certain redheaded demon hadn't bothered him all day. At first Roxas thought he was just sleeping in or moping on the roof, but even now with the dogs gone, Axel was nowhere in sight. This made Roxas uneasy – the last time Axel wasn't around, it didn't end very well. Just recalling the incident with that black goop monster two days ago put enough quickness in his steps to practically sprint towards the mud splattered hunter green and black four wheeler under the shed. Firing up the motor, he sped out from under the shed and went as fast as he comfortably could on the ATV towards the Cabin.

The Cabin wasn't actually a real 'cabin.' It was actually a mobile home located in a woody area beside one of his uncle's hay fields that had been remodeled several times to look like a nice looking getaway house in the back of the woods, right in front of a small lake. In front of the cabin was a large pavilion with a dozen picnic tables and a cook shed/grilling area that his uncle always used for parties, just like this one. It was going to be packed, because it wasn't just Roxas' friends that were going to be there, but other family members and a bunch of Uncle Cid's friends.

Tidus, Wakka and Selphie were already there by the time Roxas showed up, and after a few minutes of excited conversation between the four of them, Uncle Cid called out to them to start getting things set up for the cookout. Tidus grinned devilishly, stating he had a better idea. Catching on, the four of them raced towards their different ATVs – Roxas and Selphie hopped onto their own four wheelers while Wakka and Tidus got on their dirt bikes and took off for the countless trails that were weaved through the woods surrounding the area. This kept the quad thoroughly entertained for several hours.

The sun had already started to set and the sky overhead was starting to turn dark blue when they came back. By then, the entire area was slammed with tons of people, talking and running around and laughing, socializing with one another or playing around with Uncle Cid's dogs that ate up all the attention they were getting from small children and the teenagers that had soft spots for dogs. No one was in the Cabin itself, but were instead mingling about at the pavilion, cook shed, and the cabin's front porch. It was a sight that Roxas could always remember vividly while back home up North, but finally experiencing it again for the first time in a very long time was even better. He could smell the cooking barbeque and hamburgers mixed in with the odd scent the Off! Brand candles gave off in order to keep the mosquitoes away. The constant hum of people talking rang in his ears, along with the noise of shuffling loose gravel and sand beneath their shoes. He felt fantastic.

"Yo, Roxas, what's shakin'?" Roxas' long lost friend Seifer greeted him with a firm punch to the shoulder just as he was right in the middle of talking to his older cousin Trey.

"Hey Seifer." Roxas replied, giving Trey an apologetic look before directing his attention towards the knitted cap-wearing blonde behind him. Roxas didn't try to look as upset as he felt when he saw that Seifer was, as usual, flanked by Rai and Fuu, who both glared at Roxas like he was a serial puppy killer. He never really understood why Fuu and Rai didn't like him, but he didn't see much point in trying to find out, because both of them were about as dull as a dishwasher. "Long time no see, huh?"

"Yeah, it seems like it's been forever since you threw one of these parties over here. I hope livin' up there with those Yankees hasn't made ya soft."

"'Cause everybody knows those Yankees are a bunch of pussies, y' know!" Rai chimed in.

"Weaklings." Fuu joined in as well, her single-word responses sharp like a serpent's tongue.

"Uh…yeah, I guess." Roxas didn't really know what to say. Whenever he and Seifer tried to talk, Fuu and Rai always butted in, and just made things awkward. At least for Roxas, Seifer never seemed phased by it. "I'm still me, just missing home and all."

"I'm glad you came back for a visit then, man. Nice ta see ya."

"Roxas! Come here a second!" Selphie called out to him as she pushed through a couple of people standing in her way in front of the pavilion.

"What is it?" Roxas didn't get much of a response except he found his wrist being clamped by a vice-like grip belonging to Selphie, who proceeded to drag him towards the pavilion. "Wait a second, Selph! I was right in the middle of a conversation!"

"That can wait. This is important!"

"Something better be on fire." Roxas grumbled as he yanked his hand away from her. "I'm sorry guys, I'll guess I'll see you around." Seifer only shrugged, walking away with his troublemaking flunkies not too far behind, leaving their brief conversation at that. That's typically how their conversations went nowadays anyway.

"We're gonna totally gonna crush you later at the four-wheeler race, y'know!" Rai shouted over his shoulder.

"Defeat." Included Fuu.

"Yeah, great." Roxas rolled his eyes and started following after Selphie. Again, dull as dishwashers, the both of them. And to think he used to have a childish crush on Fuu when he was in Kindergarten…what was he thinking back then?

As Roxas weaved about the crowd into the enclosed picnic table area, Selphie started to giggle like a schoolgirl.

"Who's that guy over there? Do you know him?" She asked, looking at him with wide eyes and an excited grin.

"You know, 'that guy over there' really narrows it down for me." Roxas said sarcastically. Selphie grabbed him again and spun him around 180 degrees, facing towards the right. The excited female then pointed a finger towards someone out by the few people sitting on the swinging bench.

"That one! Right there, with the black jacket and crazy red hair!" She said all giddy. Roxas' jaw nearly hit the floor in shock like an old Acme Hour cartoon. Sitting right there on the bench, his arms stretched out the length of the back of the bench as he chatted away with a couple of people standing around him, including Wakka and Tidus, was his no longer missing in action buddy, Axel. In fact, it looked like he was right in the middle of it. The first thing to catch Roxas' eye was the way Axel was dressed. He wasn't wearing his leather coat – instead, he was wearing what looked like a black and green horizontally striped shirt with a regular black jacket unzipped in the front, along with dark wash jeans. He seemed to still be wearing his usual black boots. The next thing Roxas noticed was it looked like Axel was actually talking with his friends, and even laughing! _They can see him? Well, obviously, if Selphie is pointing him out to me like this. But how? I thought he didn't have enough magic to pull this sort of thing off… _

"Um, Roxas?" Selphie cut into Roxas' line of vision, blocking Axel from view. "Why are you gawking like that?"

"Huh?" Roxas blinked. "Oh! Um, no reason! Just kind of surprised…" _Please don't let me be blushing…!_

"Roxas, come over here, you got to meet this guy!" Wakka exclaimed, having noticed the blonde and Selphie out of the corner of his eye. Roxas was able to look past Selphie to see Axel's eyes now on him, and the 'come hither' look that flashed in his green eyes, even though for just an instant, almost made Roxas weak in the knees. He had never seen Axel in modern day clothing before (except when he was posing as Olette, but that doesn't count), and now that he was finally wearing it, Roxas couldn't deny Axel looked…well, pretty hot. That's probably the reason that Selphie was oogling all over him, too. He practically stumbled and almost fell as Selphie dragged him over towards the rest of the party at the bench.

"Um…hey." Roxas said as he stood before his tormentor, unsure of what exactly the plan was here. Was he supposed to act like he didn't know Axel? Or was he? Or were they supposed to act like…a couple? He had no idea, but he was pretty sure doing the latter would get him in a world of trouble. He hoped that Axel's delight of embarrassing him wouldn't come out to play here, not now. It was weird, it was almost like he was meeting Axel for the first time, and unsure of what to do, just like some kind of teenage girl with a massive crush on the star quarterback. Confusion knew no bounds in Roxas' mind.

"Surprised to see me?" Axel's small crimson brow perked upwards as he grinned.

"Er…yeah."

"You know this guy, Roxas?" Wakka asked, looking from his cousin to the cool newcomer.

"Of course he does!" Axel laughed, his classic smirk upon his thin lips, he rose to his feet and hooked an arm around the blonde's neck, messing up his hair in a noogie fashion, Roxas crying out in protest. "We go to school together back in Pennsylvania! He told me about this cabin that is uncle owned that threw some pretty cool parties, so I figured I should come and check it out since I decided to come home for Spring Break too." Roxas managed to break free somehow during the explanation and punch Axel in the arm, combing his fingers through his hair to try to get it to look decent again.

"You live around here?"

"I've got family down here, about a half hour away in Appling County." Axel's reply was smooth and went off without a hitch. If Roxas didn't know Axel beforehand, he'd probably have believed him.

"That's odd, Roxas never mentioned anything about you while we were hanging out yesterday…" Tidus said skeptically.

"Because he's a pest. Like glitter, the herpes of the art world." Roxas said through clenched teeth as he grabbed Axel by the left open front of his jacket and gave a rough tug. "You. Over here. Now."

"Wait, who has herpes? !" Selphie exclaimed, having not really been paying attention to the conversation (probably too busy staring at Axel, from the looks of it, and Roxas didn't like that at all.) But Roxas had already tugged Axel away from the crowd and pulled him out of the pavilion, back towards the Cabin itself. Axel was too busy laughing to ask where they were going. Opening the sliding window doors, Roxas yanked the Preta in disguise inside and slammed the door behind them, the two of them moving out of the way of any direct view of doors or windows.

"If there's anyone in here, Uncle Cid's about to fire the potato cannon!" Roxas yelled aloud in a rigid, angry tone. The cabin fell silent, the sound of a flushing toilet breaking the silence momentarily, and a black-haired person flew past them at the speed of light and went out the glass doors, the door barely closing behind him, all the while muttering something about "Holy crap, I can't miss this, y'know!"

Axel looked dumbly out the door at the strange person that had just left, his gaze then looking down at Roxas, his question very clear.

"Yes. Potato cannons exist. And they're really freaking awesome. Now, you mind telling me-"

"But wouldn't that make the potato explode everywhere?" Axel questioned. Roxas groaned.

"The stupid potato cannon isn't important! I just said they're freaking awesome. Stereotypically speaking, if Uncle Cid was really about to fire his potato cannon, wouldn't I be outside right now instead of in here? It's called a diversion."

"Right. Because an exploding potato is a lot more fun than yelling at me."

"It doesn't explode, Axel. It's wrapped in foil."

"That's even more dangerous. What, do people in the South like to endanger their lives for fun?"

"Oh sure. Tomorrow I was thinking we would spend the afternoon sticking our heads in buckets of acid and jumping over pits of poisonous snakes." Roxas started getting way too involved in his overly sarcastic response, even acting out the actions he spoke of. "Then we can finish up the evening by riding a tractor over the edge of a cliff over a bunch of pointy rocks. The one to make it back home with at least three of his limbs intact wins."

"What is with this attitude, Roxas? !" Axel hissed, his positive, cheerful attitude disappearing in an instant. "Really, is this what I get for trying to do something nice for you? ! If memory serves me right, you asked me before if we could both do something together in public like normal humans not too long ago. And now that I finally figure out how, you bite my head off!"

"Why didn't you tell me you were planning this stunt? ! At least then I wouldn't have looked like such a wuss in front of my friends when I saw you sitting there like you own the place."

"I didn't tell you because it was supposed to be a surprise, Roxas. The surprise I told you about. But if you're going to be like this, we can both just forget about it."

"That part isn't really what I'm upset about!"

"Then why don't you tell me what it is that's shoved so far up your ass that you think it's perfectly fine to throw a bitch fit like this?"

"…Where's your coat." It was a statement, not a question, the blonde's voice still angry, but Axel could see the younger male's blue eyes waver.

"My coat? It's right here." The redhead extended his arm out beside him, and the familiar black leather coat materialized upon his arm, hung over the limb neatly like as if on a coat rack of sorts. "But what does this have to do with anything?"

"Okay, let me rephrase the question. Where did you get those," Roxas pointed to the modern day clothes that the Preta was currently wearing. "And why aren't you wearing your coat?"

"Oh, these?" Axel said with a small grin. "Well, where do you think?"

"You stole them, didn't you?"

"Stealing is such a harsh word." Axel reasoned. "I like to call it 'borrowing without payment.'"

"But it's still stealing!"

"Hey! I'm a demon! Not a doctor or lawyer that has money oozing out of every pore of my body. It's not like anyone noticed." Axel rolled his eyes. "And to answer your second question, I'm not wearing it because the whole point of this little operation was to look as though I belong on this plane, not like I just jumped out of a Matrix movie or something."

"You know what the Matrix is?"

"Sixty years is a long time, Roxas. I had to find something to entertain me on off days." The Preta shrugged.

"Okay, whatever," Roxas shook his head, riding his mind of stupid, off topic questions. "But you should still be wearing your coat! It gives you your magic power!"

"Not necessarily." Axel grinned, his free hand reaching up to the collar of his striped shirt and pulled something out from under it, showing Roxas the tear-shaped opal charm that Yuffie had given him in the hay barn several days ago. "Thanks to this, I have enough raw magic at my disposal to make myself visible to you and all of your friends without it. Yuffie lent it to me when we were all back at the hay barn before you woke up."

"But is it enough to defend yourself in case one of those monsters come back?" Axel wasn't expecting this question from Roxas at all. It was then the demon noticed the wavering in the blonde's eyes was stronger. He could sense the fear, the anxiety within his mortal friend.

"…So that's what this is about." Axel said, any anger he may have felt towards Roxas in that moment fading away. "You're worried another Heartless will come after you, aren't you?" Roxas flinched, slightly, but enough for Axel to notice. Roxas' lips formed a thin line as he looked away, crossing his arms tightly at his chest. Axel found him out.

"You know what they are…?" Roxas whispered quietly. Axel nodded.

"I only really know what they're called. Other than that I don't know very much. But Roxas, tell me," The opal necklace fell from his hand, his coat disintegrating into a pile of ashes on the floor as he rested his palms on the petite male's shoulders. "Is that it?"

"…Kind of." Roxas still didn't meet his gaze. Sure, Axel may have the strength it took to take down one of those creatures, but Roxas knew that if a Heartless decided to show up that evening and Axel didn't have his coat nearby…would the necklace be enough? The experience Roxas had with the Neoshadow Heartless was terrifying, and he hoped that it would never happen again.

"Well…" Axel's grip became firm. "Like I said, this charm gives me extra raw magic, and that's different than the focused fire magic I use for other purposes. When all Pretas are…born, for lack of a better word, we have two different types of magic. One is focused magic, and that's what my coat is good for. Focused magic is magic that's used for self-defense or combat, like my fire. Raw magic is the magic that is put out by Pretas naturally without the coat, and is used for things like illusions, trickery, and invisibility. This charm magnifies that raw magic. That's why your friends can see me, and it's a lot easier on me to pull it off.

But to answer your question, no, it wouldn't be enough. I can't make raw magic become focused magic. But I showed you that I have my coat with me. So if another Heartless was to show up, I can put it on quick enough to protect you and everyone else here from it. Believe me," Roxas felt the tug of Axel's hands on his shoulders as he pulled the blonde into a protective embrace. "I'm not going to let them hurt you again. Nothing will harm you while I'm here with you. I'm here because of you."

Roxas didn't respond. He couldn't – Axel's words touched him, and out of nowhere, Roxas felt like he could cry. No one had ever said something like that to him before. He didn't want to try to speak with the risk of turning into a blubbering idiot, so he settled for wrapping his arms around Axel tightly and returning the comforting touch, laying his head upon his chest. Roxas had lain with Axel enough to know that he had no heartbeat – Axel had explained to him before that he did have the organ, but because he was a ghostly counterpart of his once human self, his heart no longer hummed in his chest. But Roxas didn't need to hear it. He could feel the warmth of Axel's body close to his that almost acted a lot like a heartbeat would in terms of emotional feeling. Whenever Axel was happy, he was nice and warm to the touch, like a heated blanket on a cold winter night. When he was upset, the heat was still there, but dull and weak like the dying embers of a once roaring fire. It never burned or hurt to be near Axel, but was always comforting.

A hand cupped the back of Roxas' head and held his head in place upon his chest, relishing this closeness, this quiet moment between the two of them, because he knew that deep down, he didn't have a lot of time left. It was less than a week now, and Axel wanted to get as much of Roxas as he could out of the next six days.

"Axel?" Roxas finally managed to whisper.

"Hm?"

"Please don't go anywhere." Roxas nuzzled his face into Axel's warmth. "I know you're just a demon, but… you're also my best friend. So even if I give you my hair… please don't disappear from my life."

"Roxas…" By the sound of Axel's suddenly sad tone, he wasn't going to like what the Preta had to say. "I don't want to disappear from your life. I don't want you to disappear from mine, either, but you know I can't guarantee anything."

"It's not that hard, though!" Roxas lifted his head to look up at the redhead's face, the beckoning in his blue eye enough to make Axel want to start sputtering apologies and mourning for what was soon to come. "I mean, after I give you my hair, I know you'll have to go look for someone else to get their hair from until mine grows back, but that doesn't mean you can't stop being with me when you aren't busy bugging the crap out of someone else. And when it grows back, you can just start preying on me again. It's not that hard." Roxas repeated. "Can't you just do that?" Axel sighed, shaking his head. He couldn't tell Roxas about Xemnas. He couldn't tell Roxas that he might have no choice but to leave in a matter of six days. Not now. It would tear the poor blonde apart. And he didn't want to see Roxas cry, not over him. _I don't deserve it. I'm just a Preta._ Instead, Axel looked at Roxas and gave him as genuine of a smile as he could.

"I'm not sure. But I'm willing to give it a try." The Preta said. "That means you're actually going to have to give your hair to me, though." He emphasized his point by petting the delicious golden locks of hair that rested on Roxas' head. Roxas could see the way Axel started looking at his hair hungrily, and realized that Axel didn't get his 'breakfast' that morning or 'lunch' because he wasn't around all day. Roxas shook his head quickly to shake away Axel's greedy hand.

"Always thinking with your stomach." Roxas huffed.

"Can't help it. It's in my nature." Axel shrugged with a smile, leaning down to give a quick peck on Roxas' forehead and then buried his head into the spiky blonde locks above. "C'mon, just a little bit." The demon purred smoothly like a cat.

"No Axel, not now," Roxas tried to pull away from Axel's grip, but Axel held him firm, Roxas feeling the small rush of air from Axel sniffing his hair hungrily. "Stop it, seriously!" Roxas brought his hands to Axel's jaw and tried pushing as hard as he could.

"Come on! I haven't had anything all day! I'm dying over here!"

"You aren't dying now any more than you were dying a few minutes ago when you got all sappy on me!"

"You did too! But that doesn't change the fact that my poor stomach is crying it's little eyes out from starvation!"

"Stomachs don't have eyes!"

"See, I'm so hungry I don't even know what I'm saying."

"You can survive for a few more hours!" Axel finally gave in and pulled his face away from the luxurious hair before him, pouting.

"Fine then…" Axel huffed. "But first you give me kisses."

"If I do, will you be a good boy…demon…thing?"

"Yes, I'll be the best boy demon thing you've ever seen." Axel laughed. Roxas glanced towards the door and listened for a moment, trying to see if he could hear the squeaky wooden floorboards of the patio outside that would signal someone's approach, but no such sound came to his ears. He then rose to stand on the tips of his toes to try to reach Axel, but even that wasn't enough to reach the Preta's waiting lips while Axel stood upright, looking down at him in sheer amusement.

"I think you're a few inches too short, Roxy." Axel snickered. Roxas' face turned red in embarrassment.

"It's not funny." Roxas grumbled.

"Yes it is."

"No, it's not. If you want a kiss you're gonna have to meet me halfway."

"Shorty says what?" Axel said altogether in a mixed up jumble.

"What?"

"Exactly." Axel grinned from ear to ear. Having just about enough of this, Roxas uncoiled his arms from around Axel's waist to grab the back of Axel's neck instead and forcefully pull him downwards, their lips finally meeting. What started out as just a simple three-second kiss in Roxas' mind became something totally different. No sooner than their lips had made two trips up and down the other's, tongues became involved. There hadn't been much action between them besides what had happened on Sunday, mostly because Roxas and his family were too busy preparing for today, so the sexual tension was starting to catch up to the both of them. Axel made soft grunts of satisfaction as he tilted his head to the side further to let his tongue probe over Roxas' with more depth and greater ease as he held the back of Roxas' neck to prevent him from pulling too far away in between gasps of breath between the two of them. Axel started to pull Roxas with him as he started taking steps backwards until his back was against the wall, making things a little easier for him.

Axel's other hand around Roxas' waist started to travel downward, slower than Axel would have liked it to but enough that he wouldn't spook Roxas so that it rested on the blonde's rear, cupping one of the lower cheeks firmly in the palm of his hand. Roxas was starting to lose himself in the moment, enough that he didn't act as surprised about the action as Axel thought he would, but instead allowed himself to be pushed up closer against the redhead.

The Preta's palm groped and stroked with a firm yet gentle touch as the air around them became more intense. Roxas was even surprised at his own self at how he wasn't as nervous about this as he had been before. But he didn't have a lot of time to think about that, for Axel's tongue retreated back into his mouth prematurely, making Roxas give a small whimper that Axel responded with biting the blonde's lower lip and tugging on it, Roxas' eyes opening to meet the unnaturally green eyes of Axel's, a silent exchange taking place between the two of them. That's when sense decided to show up in Roxas' mind and say 'Hey, I hope you know you're still at the Cabin with a bunch of people standing just outside, and some of them might come looking for you sooner or later, right? Yeah, good luck with that.' Of course, Roxas was going to protest, but his lip was currently clenched in between Axel's teeth, making talking either sound really stupid or difficult. Instead, their silent conversation spoken from one another's eyes probably sounded a little something like this;

"_We really shouldn't do this, Axel."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Um, because there are people outside."_

"_So?"_

"_And they don't exactly know that I'm romantically involved with a guy."_

"_So?"_

"_Um, okay, how about this – Bad Axel. Shoo. Go away."_

"_I can't do that."_

Roxas didn't know what caught him off guard more; that the way he imagined Axel saying 'I can't do that' sounded a lot like GLaDOS from Portal or that the redhead had started necking him. _Oh, never mind. It's definitely the necking._

Axel latched onto Roxas' neck, teeth and tongue probing about for a sweet spot. Roxas' breathing had already become unsteady, but when his teeth scraped across an area that made Roxas let out a shaky groan and make his body tremble, it became even more erratic as Axel kissed and licked that spot, grabbing the flesh with his teeth and sucking upon it vigorously as the hand on Roxas' butt moved to the very top of the back of his thigh, applying pressure that made Roxas lift his leg slightly and allow Axel to place his hand around the teen's thigh and lift it upwards.

"A-Ahxel… be g-gentle…" Roxas was able to stutter between breaths, his mind vaguely aware of the consequences of Axel's pleasurable onslaught on his neck. "Don't leave a mark…"

"Sorry." Axel murmured against Roxas' neck, giving the spot one last lick. It would be bad for Roxas if he walked out to his friends from this and had an unexplainable hickey. Axel would just have to save it for later. So Axel went back for Roxas' mouth, kissing the blonde greedily as he lifted Roxas' leg to his side, the hand that had been around Roxas' neck moving to hug Roxas as close to him as he could around the waist, feeling a shockwave of anxious pleasure as their groins brushed up against one another for the first time.

It was in that moment that Roxas was reminded that Axel was indeed a man, and therefore also had a penis. Upon that first contact, Roxas' mind started to panic and he gave out a cry of surprise, but he was also aware of how good it had felt. Then it happened again. And again. And again. Half-hardened arousals brushed against one another. The panic in Roxas' mind was quickly being replaced with ecstasy, following up the cry with a low rasping groan.

"Does that feel good?" Axel asked as he pulled away from the heated kiss, his eyes hooded and heavy as the tingling pleasure of the sound of Roxas' sweet groan worked it's way through his ears towards the rest of his body.

"U-h…uh-huh." Roxas replied through heavy breaths, hugging Axel's neck tighter. His eyes were closed shut tightly, all of his strength and energy focused onto the pleasure he was getting out of all of this. Was this what he was really afraid of before? He shouldn't have been, because it felt amazing. Axel smiled, finding the scrunched up look on Roxas' face both adorable and sexy and became even more aroused. He had to make Roxas feel that way, too.

Another moan left Roxas' lips when he felt Axel's hand move from around his waist to the front of his pants, picking up where the rubbing had stopped and cupped the blonde's package, massaging it with his palm, toying with him and making his pants increasingly uncomfortable. It felt so good, Roxas didn't want Axel to stop. His mind was growing hazy, his eyes were starting to drift to a close, ready to just give in to the lust that had grown between the two of them.

But that was until he heard the patio floorboards start creaking. Roxas instantly snapped back into reality and realized what was going on.

"Stop stop stop!" Roxas quietly hissed as he instantly backed away from Axel, eyes wide. "Someone's coming!"

"Shit." Axel cursed as he wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket, trying to come up with something to conceal their obvious erections, but nothing they could do would be fast enough, because whomever it was that was coming, they were just about to open the glass sliding door a few feet away. Axel immediately went with his last resort, grabbing Roxas by the wrist. "Hold on." Was all Axel said before the two of them disappeared into a dark corridor, the last traces of the shadow disappearing just as Seifer stepped into the Cabin.

"Yo, Roxas, you in here?" Seifer called out, Rai having told him that he had seen the blonde come inside with some redheaded guy just as he was running out to see Cid's potato cannon, which lead to a few of Roxas' friends begging the elder blonde to fire the cannon. Everyone was scrambling towards the field to see it, and Seifer figured he'd give a holler on his way over to the field to see the spectacle. But he got no reply.

"If you are, your uncle's about to fire the cannon, so hurry up, ya chicken wuss." After waiting a few seconds and still getting no reply, Seifer rolled his eyes and went back outside.

* * *

_**Well, I don't know about you guys, but I can think of something a little more exciting than a potato cannon (No lie, a lot of people here go crazy over potato cannons.) –Shifty eyes.- Lemony spritzers, anyone?**_

_**NO SPRITZER FOR YOU! Not until the next chapter. Oh yeah. I went there.**_

_**And to think, I wrote this entire chapter in four hours while waiting for my laundry to finish….**_

_**Oh! And please don't read too much into Seifer and Co.'s Northern folk bashing. It's just in their character. I don't think that way at all. :)**_


	29. Silver Screen

It was so fast that Roxas had barely any reaction time. One moment he was in the heat of the moment with Axel in the den area of the Cabin, and the next he found himself in a bedroom, which after a few minutes of looking around he recognized as one of the guest rooms on the other side of the Cabin. The walls were a warm tan color, the furniture made with stained brown oak and the bed was made neatly, with it's brown and tan comforter and matching pillow sheets making the whole room like it came straight out of a Southern Weekly magazine. There were no lights on, but Roxas could still see clearly enough as Axel released his grip on the teen's wrist. They could both hear behind the closed door of the bedroom the sound of the glass door opening, and Roxas heard Seifer calling for him about the potato cannon. Neither of them said a word until the slam of the sliding door signaled Seifer's exit.

"That was a close one." Axel sighed in relief, followed by a chuckle. "We almost got found out there for a minute."

"You portaled us here?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah." Axel nodded. "I'm sorry it was so sudden, but we didn't really have another choice. It was either this or try to explain why the both of us have a hard on for no reason."

"Good thinking." Roxas followed up. After that, the two of them just kind of stood there, both of them still very much horny, but the interruption had suddenly made things really awkward. Roxas busied himself by looking around the room with sudden interest while Axel rubbed the back of his neck, also starting to admire the dark brown carpet beneath them.

"So… I guess that kind of ruined the moment, didn't it?" Axel finally asked.

"I dunno…" Roxas said, looking up sheepishly at Axel. "I mean…are you still…you know?"

"Ooooh yeah." Axel chuckled nervously at his own blunt reply. "What about you?" Roxas paused for several moments, almost too embarrassed to answer, and then nodded his head slowly. Axel smiled and laid a reassuring hand on the blonde's shoulder and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. It took a lot of mental strength in that moment to keep it a simple kiss. "We can keep going if you want. Or if you want to stop, that's okay too. It's totally up to you. It sounded like whoever it was that came in was saying something about your uncle firing that cannon you were talking about."

"Yeah, and that's cool and all," Roxas shrugged, the inner struggle between his desire to continue and the eagerness to see the cannon, but in the end, a guy's libido is a guy's libido. And he had seen the cannon before. Hell, he fired it once. "But… I didn't really want to stop."

"Really?" Axel's eyes lit up in surprise. Again, another slow nod from Roxas. Just as Axel was just about ready to pounce on him and pick up right where they had left off, but something crossed his mind that made him decide against it. Roxas might not have any clue as to how far he was talking about taking it. "Are you sure?" His tone became firm.

"Kind of… I mean, no one's around, right? They all went off into the field. We're alone, so…"

"You do realize that it's going to hurt, right?"

"What?"

"Assuming you're talking about having full-on sex right now in this very bedroom, then I should warn you that it's going to hurt a little the first time. That also means that you're going to be really sore afterwards. It's going to be really hard to try to walk correctly and keep a straight face afterwards if we do it here. And trust me, if you're going to be bouncing around on that four wheeler thing of yours later, you really aren't going to want that."

"I guess you're right." Roxas sighed a little, his hands burying into his pockets as he continued on in irritation. "We really have crappy timing. So what do we do now?"

"Hold your horses." Axel said with a sly grin. "I said we shouldn't have penetrative sex. I said absolutely nothing about stopping altogether."

"Huh?" Roxas' blonde brows scrunched together. Axel didn't bother trying to explain himself, but instead opted for an even better solution by reaching out and grabbing Roxas' wrist and pulling him closer, his other hand grasping his prey's chin and gave him an intense, heated kiss. Axel could have sworn he heard Roxas whimper as his tongue ran across his lower lip slowly and sensually before invading Roxas' mouth once again to taste Roxas' own willing tongue.

Roxas' eyes fluttered to a close as he instantly melted in Axel's embrace, that mind-blurring ecstasy quickly catching up with him and making any desire to want to protest disappear in an instant. _I thought Axel said we shouldn't continue…? Shut up, who cares, I want this. I want this now._

Roxas struggled to get his hands out of his pockets, which suddenly became a much harder task than it really should have been. He grunted in frustration in the middle of their kiss, and Axel chuckled as he pulled away from Roxas' lips, helping Roxas out with his predicament so that his hands were free to roam as they pleased. They didn't really get the chance to try to grab anything, because the teen was finding himself being pushed backwards until his knees were knocked out from under him by the side of the bed and was pushed back onto the brown comforter.

Axel didn't waste any time climbing onto the bed to loom above the slightly blushing blonde, lustfully smiling as he went straight for Roxas' neck. Roxas could tell that Axel was trying to be as gentle as possible like Roxas had requested as he nipped and licked at the tender flesh, but it was no less pleasurable as he threaded his fingers through Axel's wild red hair, his breaths shaky and irregular. Axel left a wet trail of saliva down Roxas' neck until he reached the base, and became impatient with playing it safe. His hand pulled at the collar of Roxas' shirt towards the right, exposing a few inches of his shoulder. If he couldn't leave a hickey on Roxas' neck, why not leave one somewhere that no one could see?

Roxas gasped Axel's name as the Preta sank his teeth into his shoulder, sucking hard as his one hand held the collar stretched in place, the other going straight in between Roxas' legs and resuming the teasing strokes. Roxas willingly spread his legs to give Axel easier access, but it also stretched the blue jean fabric over his hardened member and made it even more uncomfortable and Axel could sense tension.

"It looks like someone has a little problem." Axel purred as he released Roxas' shoulder, letting the collar fall back into place. Roxas could only stifle a groan in response as Axel gripped Roxas' sex firmly. "I know just the thing for it. You'd like that, wouldn't you Rrroxy?" He rolled his R's fluidly, just like he knew Roxas liked to hear it.

"Mhm…" Roxas mumbled coyly, feeling weird for saying it but unable to deny the truth. He had to have more. He wanted to keep feeling this intense pleasure. Axel granted his wish and started to unbutton the blonde's jeans carefully, looking out for any sign of resistance. There was no way he was going to do this without Roxas' total consent. However, Roxas didn't try to stop him, even as he pulled down the zipper of the pants and as the redhead started tugging the jeans down to his knees. If anything, Roxas felt better, freed from the confines of his pants. It wasn't until Axel's fingers slipped past the waistband of his boxers that Roxas made a noise of uncertainty on impulse.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked softly, his hand quickly retreating.

"It's nothing." Roxas sighed irritably, frustrated with himself. He made it this far with Axel no problem, why now?

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's just me being stupid."

"About?"

"I really want this to happen but apart of me is still nervous about you being…well...a guy."

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No, no, I don't." Roxas shook his head furiously. "Honest. Like I said it's just me being stupid."

"Come here." Axel beckoned to him as he pulled on Roxas' arm until the blonde was sitting upright in front of Axel, and the redhead proceeded to take off Roxas' sneakers and pull his pants the rest of the way off of his legs, along with his boxers. He also took this moment to take off his 'borrowed' black jacket, but left the long sleeved shirt on and took off his own boots before crawling back into bed with Roxas. He sat in front of Roxas so that his own long legs overlapped Roxas' thighs and scooted in close, Roxas' legs still spread wide under the weight of Axel's thighs.

"What are you doing?" Roxas asked with mild confusion.

"Getting comfortable." Axel replied simply before leaning in to kiss Roxas deeply, his hands remaining on Roxas' hips and making no movement towards Roxas' lower regions just yet. The kisses that followed weren't as forceful and yearning as the previous, but were instead soft and full of reassurance, as if Axel was saying that he wasn't going to cause him any harm. Axel's palms even cupped the teen's face, his thumb stroking the skin of his cheeks with a light touch. Roxas could feel Axel's significantly increased heat in his palms on his face. Yet, it wasn't like any other kind of heat that he had felt from Axel before. There was something alluring about it, the warmth soaking through his skin and stroking the most sensitive of nerves that gave Roxas the good sort of chills. Soon, Roxas was growing into a greater state of relaxation, any insecurities he had becoming moot or insignificant.

After about half a minute of this and Axel was sure Roxas was okay, Axel finally weaved on arm around Roxas' waist while the other trailed its way towards his target. "Just relax." Axel whispered softly into the skin of Roxas' forehead as he nuzzled him. Roxas only sighed dreamily as his glazed sapphire colored eyes were partially hooded under heavy eyelids, a little sad that Axel's warm hands had left his face, but knew that some of it would soon be in a more personal place. Axel made him feel safe. Axel wouldn't hurt him. Axel cared about him…

Axel kissed Roxas' temple as his long fingers gently stroked along the side of the heated muscle, once reaching the head he curled the digits loosely around his member as his thumb drew small circles over the very tip.

Roxas' eyes lit up as he mewled loudly at Axel's touch, his body shaking from tremors of elation as his forehead fell onto Axel's shoulder, hands gripping the fabric of Axel's shirt on his arms. That hypnotizing heat that he had felt on his face was doing the exact same thing now, only its effect was twice as strong.

"You okay?" Axel murmured into his ear as his thumb continued to tease the head of his arousal. Was something that felt this good even legal?

"Yeah." Roxas managed to gasp, his hips making the smallest movement of thrusting forward into Axel's hand. "Don't stop."

"Wasn't planning to." Roxas could hear the smugness in Axel's voice that he was pretty sure was painted all over his face. Axel ceased his thumbing over the head and started to pump Roxas' member up and down at a slow pace, quickly picking up speed with each passing moment.

The intensity of the pleasure he felt from Axel doing this was unlike anything he had been able to do to himself in the past. He moaned and whimpered, wanting Axel to go faster, faster, just a little tighter, the frequent dreams he had been having of Axel pleasing him like this coming into reality. It was even better than he thought it would be. His hips kept bucking upwards in response to Axel's actions, creating friction against Axel's hand that only multiplied the feeling. Soon, Roxas was unaware of how loud his moans and cries actually were, drowning in Axel's ministrations. That heat, it was consuming him, that unbearable _heat_…

As much as Axel loved to hear such loud cries from Roxas, he knew they couldn't risk being found out when everyone decided to come back from the field. He quit pleasuring Roxas with his hand quickly and picked up Roxas head by his chin and sealed his lips over Roxas' own to silence him. When Axel stopped touching him, Roxas was able to snap out of his trance.

"I'm very happy you're enjoying it so much, but you've got to be a little quieter." Axel whispered softly after they pulled away.

"Sorry…" Roxas said, his face turning red and burying it into Axel's shoulder to avoid looking at him. "I got carried away…" Roxas' voice was muffled by Axel's shirt. Axel consoled the flustered blonde by hugging him tightly and rubbing his back as he smiled, hardly believing that this was all actually happening, but knowing he had to be patient with Roxas in this situation. As much as Axel would like to receive his own release from Roxas, he still had to get him warmed up to all of this before he could think of something like that.

"It's okay. Come on, don't do that," Axel said as he gently pulled Roxas off of him and slid back up off of the bed, smirking as he unbuttoned the button on his own pants and threaded his thumbs through the belt loops. "I'm not done with you yet."

"I thought we weren't going to do that yet, though." Roxas said with uncertainty.

"We aren't. You forget, there's several ways to 'have sex' without really having 'sex.'"

"And that's supposed to make sense?"

"Hush. Just sit there and keep looking cute and sexy for me." Axel retorted as he gave his pants a yank downwards. Roxas played the smartass card and crossed his eyes while sticking his tongue out at the Preta. _Oh, you want cute? Here's your cute. How about them apples? _Axel laughed as he watched Roxas make that face, but once it had passed, his tone suddenly became low. "You better put that back in your mouth before I take it from you."

"Nyeh nyeh nyehhhh." Roxas taunted him in response. He knew he was pretty much asking for what happened next. Axel growled in a feral like manner and pounced on him, grabbing the teen's tongue with his teeth and tugging on it sharply, making Roxas meep from the nip. He tried to pull away, but Axel had grabbed both of his shoulders and prevented him from doing so as he started sucking upon the captured tongue roughly. Eventually Roxas gave in and stopped trying to struggle, and instead wrapped his arms around Axel's neck to keep him close. Axel could feel the vibrations of Roxas' soft moans from the entrapped tongue, making his own exposed shaft twitch with sheer anticipation. He released his grip on Roxas' tongue momentarily to push Roxas back onto the bed, mounting on top of the blonde as their bare, heated arousals brushed against one another.

Roxas gasped at the contact while Axel gave a shutter. Roxas was too busy crossing his eyes to notice that Axel had taken his pants off, and was now naked just like him from the waist down. His mind didn't have the means to protest at all, his body giving into his sexual desires and thrusting his hips upwards into Axel, wanting to feel the friction of their sexes grinding together.

Axel was no virgin, at least technically speaking. He had experienced sex several times with his previous lover Leon in his mortal life, so he knew what to expect. But it had been so long ago – sixty years since then, and right now it was almost as mind blowing for Axel like it was for Roxas. He nearly lost it as he and Roxas grinded against one another, barely able to keep himself from lifting Roxas' legs up and just taking him right then, but he knew he couldn't, no matter how badly he wanted to. Roxas still had an obligation; the Cabin supper. Roxas was right; they had really crappy timing. He busied his hands with the task of slipping under Roxas' gray T-shirt and running his fingers over the blonde's heated skin, his flesh flawless beneath his fingertips, free of blemishes and scars like his own. It was soft and velvety to the touch, and Axel loved it. He almost felt guilty, touching something so nice and smooth with his hands, hands that had built so much, only to destroy it all in the end. He tried not to think of that now. What mattered now was the voluptuous blonde beneath him that was writhing and groaning in response to Axel's actions. For some reason, Roxas seemed to like it a lot when he touched him. His hands drifted upwards to Roxas' chest and let his thumbs start teasing his nipples under his shirt, the face and most wanton noise that Roxas made in result making Axel feel like he could come right then. _God, he's a sexy little thing._

The Preta felt traces of a warm liquid against his cock, and knew that it was Roxas' precum, coming close to his climax. Axel was close as well, but it wasn't as obvious due to his lack of reproductive semen. Soon the grinding wasn't cutting it, so Axel reluctantly left the warmth of Roxas' body to sit upright, not hesitating to pull Roxas back up into a sitting position and adjusting so that they were in the same position that they were in before, with Axel's legs overlapping Roxas' as they sat with their legs spread open slightly and facing one another.

When Axel started stroking Roxas' member again, Roxas did something that Axel wasn't expecting at all. Roxas reached up behind the redhead's neck and pulled him closer, his mouth diving forward to start showing Axel's pale neck the same attention that the redhead had always been giving him. Roxas seized a bit of Axel's neck near the base in between his teeth and started sucking, gently applying pressure at occasional intervals with his teeth. Axel's lips parted in a gasp, his eyes nearly rolling to the back of his head at Roxas' sudden act of dominance. He loved getting hickeys as much as he did giving them. It wasn't long before Roxas had Axel's restrained gasps turn into soft moans.

"Shit…" Axel cursed quietly as he clenched his teeth, trying once again to keep his moans to himself. "Keep doing that, Roxas, don't stop." Axel commanded, using his free hand to grab one of Roxas' hands from behind his neck and lead it downwards towards Axel's neglected shaft. Roxas' hand flinched, hesitant, but Axel still kept his grip on Roxas' hand and helped guide him to what he was supposed to do. Roxas stopped what he was doing to Axel's neck and briefly looked down to look at what was sitting in his hand, starting to feel a little nervous. But Axel continued to guide his hand, making it start pumping his fist up and down at the same pace that Axel was using on Roxas. After a few strokes, Axel let go, and Roxas kept going on his own.

At first, he was nervous that he was doing something wrong until Axel's lanky form shivered as he moaned Roxas' name and sent Roxas' mind spinning like an out of control race car. The way Axel had just moaned his name like that was a hundred times sexier than when he rolled his R's. It sent a shiver up Roxas' spine that prickled his nerves with a mixture of pride and pleasure. He had to hear Axel do it again. Tightening his grip on the Preta's neck with his other arm, he attacked Axel's neck again, sucking and biting on the abused flesh. After hearing Axel moan his name like that a second time, that was all Roxas needed to make his vision fray at the edges as ribbons of hot seed shot into Axel's hand, some of it getting on both of their shirts as Roxas gave one last muffled cry as he rode out his own climax. Axel was close to follow, those familiar tremors rocking his body followed by an enlightened state of euphoria.

Roxas, breathless and fatigued, sighed as he laid back onto the bed, trying to catch his breath with beads of sweat dotting his brow. Axel's first and immediate concern was the sticky white substance now on his hand. He wanted to just snuggle with Roxas for a little bit, but he had to get rid of this first. He looked around for something, anything to wipe it off his hand. Pretty soon laziness got the better of him, so he scooted off of Roxas, and after making sure that Roxas' wasn't paying that much attention, Axel quickly wiped his hand off with the corner of the comforter. It wasn't like he or Roxas were going to be sleeping in it anyway.

"You okay?" Axel asked as he lay down beside the spent blonde, brushing the few blonde strands that were sticking to his forehead from light perspiration out of the way of his eyes, those blue eyes he liked so much. Roxas blinked sluggishly and looked over at the Preta beside him, giving him a tired smile.

"Yeah." Roxas said as he turned over on his side to face Axel as well.

"Good." Axel smiled and pulled Roxas closer to him, the two of them sharing one last sweet kiss on the lips, and then lay quietly together as they took in the afterglow. Despite the fact that the main event had ended, that intoxicating heat was still faintly rippling through Roxas' small form. That heat mixed with the soothing serenity of post-intercourse relaxation was making his limbs feel heavy, making him feel so sleepy. In fact, Roxas felt like he was about to fall asleep until he heard what sounded like a boom from the distance, making the Cabin shake for a few moments.

"What was that?" Axel said, instantly alert and quickly sat upright.

"Relax, it was just the cannon going off." Roxas reassured him, lazily tugging on Axel's shirt to try to make him lay down again.

"No, that means that we got to get up then." Axel shook his head.

"I don't wanna."

"You've got to, Roxas. Everyone will be back soon. C'mon." Axel took Roxas' wrist and pulled, the blonde teen groaning in protest and being only deadweight at first until he finally sat up on his own, grumbling under his breath as he ran his fingers through his hair to try to make himself look decent again. He didn't hear Axel moving at all, and finally looked over to see Axel grinning at him like a madman.

"What's that look for?" Roxas asked.

"You mind telling me where that shy little Roxy of mine went?" Axel's brow perked as he asked his question.

"What are you talking about?" Even though he asked, Roxas was pretty sure he knew what he was talking about, and tried to avoid looking directly at him.

"Oh you know exactly what I'm talking about." Axel pressed on, leaning in closer to the teen, his eyes narrowed. "When you gave me this." He stretched the collar of his green and black shirt down enough for Roxas to see the angry red mark of his own creation that he left behind. It was at the base of his neck, but once he put on his black jacket later on, it would be difficult to see in the darkness of the night.

"I'm sorry?" Roxas tried to apologize, but he really didn't want to. He actually felt a little proud about it. Axel was always marking his whenever he could, and now Roxas had finally left his mark on the redhead. Sure, it would fade with time, but Roxas would always know that it was there. But honestly, he wouldn't have had the confidence to do such a thing if he had any control over himself then. Just when Axel had slipped his hands under his shirt and stroked his chest like he did, it was almost like that warmth was clouding his mind, destroying any rational thought.

"Don't apologize." Axel said. "As a matter of fact, it was incredibly hot. Methinks I'm going to like Horny Roxas."

"Yeah yeah." Roxas pretended to busy himself with gathering up his clothing up off of the floor, getting off of the bed to retrieve said items. He only took about two steps before Axel delivered a slap to the blonde's bare rear end, making him yelp.

"It's official. I definitely want a piece of that ass." Axel mused while Roxas glared at him, his hand rubbing the spot where Axel had smacked him.

"What, were you not sure before?" Roxas feigned hurt.

"No, I've always wanted it, but now I finally got to see it in person," He held up his hands and 'framed' Roxas' butt with his index fingers and thumbs, closing his right eye as he looked through the fake frame. "I think I might have found the Earth's missing wonder."

"Shut up and put your pants on." Roxas said as he tried to hide the smile that was making his face a little crooked as he threw the dark blue jeans at the Preta's face. "Were you not wearing any boxers or something? I couldn't find any besides mine."

"Nope." Axel replied smugly.

"Seriously?"

"Haven't for the past sixty years, my friend."

"…I don't really know what to think about that."

"I'm a Preta. I don't really need to."

"But still."

"You wear your silly boxers if you want. I'll keep going without." They kept going back and forth with this exchange as they finished getting dressed, making sure that the both of them looked at least presentable enough for the night light outside. Not that dried cum stains are all that visible in the dark, but Axel hid any evidence by keeping his jacket closed instead of opened like before. Roxas was able to dig through the dressers in one of the other rooms and find a shirt that he could wear in it's place. He'd have to try to come up with some sort of excuse as to why he had changed, though. Roxas could hear the dull chatter of people's voices starting to trickle in from the direction of the field, signaling that they should probably get back out there as soon as they could.

"Hey, Roxas?" Axel said as the blonde opened the door to the guest room and was preparing to leave.

"What?" Roxas answered, still stepping out of the room as he spoke. Within seconds he was being pulled back into the bedroom by Axel's finger that had hooked around his back belt loop and pushed up against the wall beside the open door. Axel swooped down and snatched up Roxas' lips with his own in another lust hungry kiss, his knee pressing in between the younger male's legs and rubbed up against his pelvic area. Roxas' knees became silly putty, completely at the mercy of the redhead's dominating tongue and teasing knee that grinded against his previously calmed down member.

"I'm letting you go free this time," Axel purred after he had pulled away, his tongue flicking at the blonde's lower lip. "But one night soon, very soon, you and that sweet little ass of yours is all mine. No excuses."

Roxas had no idea where the hell this came from, but all he knew for sure is that the way Axel was talking to him like this was making his mouth dry and very hard to respond clearly, so he could only manage to nod like an entranced dunce.

"Good." Axel suddenly sounded a lot chipper, stepping away from Roxas and walking out the door as if nothing happened. Roxas stood there with his mouth wide open, his brow scrunched together, and a brand new hard wood starting to form in his jeans.

"AXEL! You asshole!" Roxas snarled as he took off after the happy Preta. "Get back here!" But Roxas only heard Axel's laugher as he left through the front glass sliding doors before it shut behind him.

* * *

The Polish town that Axel and Leon lived in barely managed to escape the clutches of the evil Nazi rally that was supposed to take place two days after 'the incident.' As Leon predicted, they were going to require the town's population that was physically able to attend, but fortunately it started storming like crazy the night before, and the rally had to be rescheduled.

Axel and Leon both knew that they had to be extremely careful. Just the tiniest mistake would spell the end for them and their families. Axel would sometimes question himself, even to this day, as to what possessed him to give Leon the green light. His answer was always the same; Leon was right. Axel never thought about what he wanted anymore. Everything he did was for Aerith's sake. But this - this risky but so worth it relationship with a general store owner behind closed doors – was his and his alone.

They kept going about their normal daily routines; their friendship was completely platonic to the outside world like it had been before, absolutely no hints, not even the most miniscule of gestures that would state otherwise. It was only behind the closed and locked doors of either Leon's apartment or Axel's that it was a completely different story.

When they were alone at first, there wasn't very much physical contact. They spent most of the time just talking, enjoying one another's company. It wasn't that Axel didn't absolutely want to, he didn't know how. So, Leon had to patiently help Axel get more comfortable being with him in a very similar way that Axel warmed Roxas up to the idea of being with another male.

Very soon, they started stealing kisses, their heated arguments about trivial things such as politics or Leon's talent for being bilingual being solved by an angry makeout session, with Axel's comfort zone becoming a lot more tolerant. Soon it felt like the norm, being with Leon like this. He couldn't really imagine being with a woman at this point, at least not with a strong, stubborn, sexy brunette around. The only thing that Axel was still very hesitant about was bringing their 'messing around' into the bedroom. Leon would just have to wait a while on that one.

Axel and Leon made sure that their younger siblings Zack and Aerith never knew about their arrangement. If Leon ever came over while Aerith was present, he never spent the night or made any moves on the redhead, and the same went for if Axel went over to Leon's. Though Axel loved and trusted Aerith with all of his heart, he couldn't risk the young girl knowing about it and accidently telling Mrs. Guntram about it. Leon only made sure Zack wasn't aware for standard precautionary measures. They would always wait until they were certain the two children were preoccupied in another room for an extended length of time or over at Mrs. Guntram's apartment. Aerith and Zack had become good friends during all of this, and Aerith would invite Zack to come to Mrs. Guntram's apartment sometimes to play. Zack was just happy that there was someone his age that wasn't afraid of him because of the way he looked due to his illness. Even a child needs at least one friend.

As for how the outside world around them was faring, it was becoming a very grim sight to behold. Leon wasn't lying when he had said that the Gestapo were starting to crack down, but Axel didn't know exactly what the brunette meant by that. In the past, cases of people selling out others to the Gestapo for cash or favors were very real, but far in between. That was until the Gestapo started openly and publicly encouraging it; offering rewards of money and other luxuries in return for the apprehension of hidden Jews and other suspicious people. Now it was happening everywhere left and right. He remembered one instance very clearly, taking place in his own complex; one instance that almost costed him his own life.

It turned out that his neighbors, the Kauffmans, the family that had allowed Aerith to play with their kittens in the past, were harboring a Jewish couple in their apartment that were friends of the family. They had been staying there for almost a year and a half before they were found out. The only thing that Axel found sadder than the fact that they were caught was by how they were caught.

Axel and the Kauffmans lived on the second floor of the complex. There was a man that lived downstairs on the first floor by the name of Robert Freish, and his reputation wasn't exactly the best in the world. He was a rather hefty looking man, his obviously frequent consumption of alcohol from the cold hard cash that he cheated from people evident from his beer gut. He had dark beady brown eyes like a rat that almost appeared black like what little hair there was left from his receding hairline. He was the complex's 'on duty repair man,' though he rarely ever carried out those duties. Until Axel showed up and became Mrs. Guntram's dependable repairman and housekeeper, Robert always scammed the kind, elderly woman out of her money whenever she needed something repaired, demanding twice the amount of money than necessary to purchase whatever was needed to fix the problem. Even then, if he actually did the repairs, the finished result left a lot to be desired.

One day while Robert was out, Mrs. Guntram called on Axel to help repair her bed post, for it had suddenly split on the right side and caused the mattress to fall straight through onto the floor, and she had a difficult time getting out of it the following morning. Axel went out and a new sheet of wood with his own money out of his pocket and spent all day fixing it, and it ended up sturdier than it had been before the repair, the original problem having been caused from rotting wood. And to top it all off, Axel didn't even mention anything about payment before, during, or after it all. This left Mrs. Guntram with a very good impression, and from then on started asking for Axel's help instead of Robert's. Perhaps that was why Robert always gave him a glare that gave all meaning to the statement 'if looks could kill' whenever they happened to pass by another in the halls of the complex. His eyes were what bothered Axel the most. They were so dark, so menacing, they just gave him the willies.

Robert had somehow managed to find out the Kauffmans' secret. Instead of reporting it immediately to the Gestapo, he demanded that the family paid him a hefty monthly allowance to keep him quiet. Both Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman worked at a paper mill, so they both started pulling double shifts in order to keep up with taking care of two extra people and keeping a snake in the grass satisfied.

That wasn't enough for Robert. The only explanation Axel could think of for Robert's actions was that he was either a sadist and enjoyed the torture of others or he was just a shell of a man without any sort of heart. The Kauffman family always met Robert's set deadlines for payment, never late and always the exact amount he asked for. In theory, that should have been enough for him. But the thrill from making the Kauffmans suffer wasn't fun anymore. So he told the Gestapo anyway.

The Gestapo came bursting through the door just before sunset, causing an uproar on the first floor as they went to each room one by one and did all but bust down the doors to locate the Kauffman family. Axel, not yet aware of what was going on, stepped out into the hallway of the second floor to try to figure out what was going on. Aerith was close behind him, all the while clutching the side of his shirt with a firm grip, already shaken by the unknown.

That was when Axel experienced his first encounter with the Gestapo's fierce canine unit. Only seconds after he had stepped out of his apartment did he see a massive German Shepherd come barreling up the stairs, another one not too far behind as they barked and snarled, saliva dripping from their open mouths as they bared their fangs at the unfortunate pair of humans standing in the hallway. Their dark fur was bristled, their claws scraping across the wooden floor as they headed right towards him and Aerith. Aerith screamed in terror and clung to Axel for dear life, and Axel experienced pure terror for the first time as he looked into the dark golden eyes of his soon to be attackers.

"The bathroom, Aerith, hurry!" Axel grabbed his younger sister's small wrists as the adrenaline started coursing through his veins and shoved her back into the apartment room with all of his strength, making her fall back and almost hit her head on the floor on impact. She didn't hesitate to do what her big brother commanded and scrambled to her feet, still screaming as she ran for the supposed safety of the bathroom. Axel ran after her, almost halfway across the threshold when one of the dogs let out a vicious snarl behind him, followed by the feeling of immense pain as one of them lunged forward and snapped his right thigh in it's jaws.

Axel cried out in pain as he fell forward, the canine still hanging on tightly to his thigh, the second canine grabbed hold of the fabric of Axel's pants just above his right ankle, snapping at his skin beneath in the process and creating another bloody but less life-threatening wound on the back of his ankle as they dragged him back out into the hallway. Axel tried to struggle and fight the dogs off, but that only made the German Shepherd attached to his thigh clamp the very muscle of his leg tighter between his teeth. He could hear Aerith wailing and crying his name as he was dragged away, and managed to look up and get a glimpse of her standing at the end of the hallway, her green eyes overflowing with tears, her face red from her shrieking as she witnessed the whole attack. She looked conflicted, her small body shaking with fear as she wanted so desperately to help Axel, but instinctive fear kept her glued to her position. She was supposed to be in the bathroom! Axel wanted to tell her to get back in the bathroom before one of the dogs spotted her and decided to attack her too, but he couldn't find the strength to as he fought and struggled against the dogs for freedom.

"Somebody help!" Aerith screamed as Axel managed to to turn onto his side and grab ahold of the dog at his thigh's ear and jerk with enough force to make the dog let go, but the dogs were faster than Axel and lunged for his face, mouths opened wide to attack again. Axel held up his arms protectively in front of his face, and watched the blood dribble down his arms as they both grabbed his arms in their jaws and shook, shook, shook their heads and made the wounds even deeper. Axel hissed as pain flooded his senses once again, still trying to somehow strike the canines with his long legs, but he was powerless against the collective force of 180 pounds of sheer muscle power bearing down on him, no matter how hard he struggled. "Please! Somebody! They're killing him! They're killing him!"

Axel couldn't hear her, only hearing an ear-piercing ringing in his ears. His mind, his body were shut off from the rest of the world as fear made him face the realization that if this kept going, these dogs were going to kill him. He was going to die right here in the hallway, with Aerith watching his murder. Was this really the end for him? He couldn't accept that! He can't die here, not now! He had so much to live for! For Aerith, for Leon, Mrs. Guntram, and even Zack. He couldn't leave them!

"That's enough! Off! Off!" A bellowing voice commanded the space around them, and the dogs immediately released their redheaded prisoner and backed off. Axel was still shaking as he saw several human figures running past him through his fuzzy vision, along with a few other German Shepherds that either jumped over him or stepped on him as they followed after the people running past him, completely disinterested in the man laying in a heap on the floor beneath their paws.

"Someone get this man out of the way, he's hindering the investigation!" Another voice ordered. "And get that kid and shut her up! Don't stop, men! Not until we find the Jewish scum!"

"Yes sir!" a chorus of Gestapo grunts replied, the men flooding and taking over the second floor like a horrid virus. Axel wasn't helped to his feet, but rather yanked to his feet by two strong hands, cursing like a sailor once he put weight on his right leg. Whoever pulled him up seemed to get the hint and say something along the lines of "One of the dogs got him pretty good on his leg. Must have tried to run and excited them." Most of this was just a bunch of muffled noises in Axel's ears that were still ringing as he entered a state of shock.

"What a moron." The voice that Axel could only guess belonged to the leader of this raid. "Get him downstairs and call a medic. Things are gonna get pretty hectic up here."

"No! Let me go! Let me go! Stop!" Aerith continued to scream as she was apprehended by a Gestapo police grunt by the arm and dragged out into the hallway as three other men and a dog ran into their apartment and started tearing everything apart. That was when she could see through her tears that Axel was being taken away by two of the evil red men on each side of him, the back of his pants leg stained dark with blood, barely cooperating with the officers. "Where are you taking him? ! No! Leave him alone! Don't take him away!" Aerith started kicking and screaming, putting all of her strength into trying to get the officer to release her.

After that, anarchy broke free, and the ringing in his ear was replaced with a terrible roar as the screams from his little sister and shouts from the Gestapo, together with the barking of the dogs all blended together into one as another set of screamed joined in. Those screams belonged to the Kauffmans and their Jewish hideaways as the Gestapo kicked down their door and apprehended them with brute force.

Everything was a blur to Axel after that. He had slipped into an eerie state of Limbo, still completely conscious but highly unresponsive, the shock seizing fiber of his being. There were several images that he could remember seeing clearly, which were the images of the newly captured prisoners being hauled down the stairs in an almost barbaric fashion, the look of horror on Mrs. Guntram's aged face, the image of black swastikas on red and white everywhere, and the sick, twisted smirk on Robert Freish's face. He couldn't remember how Robert ended up there, nor did he know that the beady-eyed man was behind all of this just yet, but Axel remembered seeing him there. Something inside wished that this was all just a dream, but the pain from his wounds from the dog's attack was what kept reminding him that all of this was very much real.

Just as the captured prisoners were being driven away in the back of a Gestapo police van, the medic had arrived. The Gestapo were starting to pour out of the mouth of the rickety wooden apartment complex when Leon rounded the corner onto Axel's street. His casual stroll broke out into a full out sprint, his heart and mind racing all the while as he approached the scene. The Gestapo…and an ambulance? What are they doing here?

Leon's heart sank as he saw a familiar redhead being led out the door in a litter* and into the back of a dark blue vehicle with a red cross painted on the side, with little Aerith scrambling after them and wailing like a young kitten looking for it's mother. Mrs. Guntram hurriedly snatched Aerith away and held the struggling girl tight in her arms to restrain her. Leon ran as fast as his legs would carry him, but the ambulance had started pulling away by the time he made it to the sidewalk in front of the complex.

"Leon!" Aerith cried as she struggled even harder against Mrs. Guntram's protective embrace. "They took him! They took Axel away! They hurt Axel and then took him away!"

"You must calm down, Aerith!" Mrs. Guntram tried to console the lucid child. "Don't make such a scene! Axel will be all right!" There was so much confusion, so much chaos, Leon had to take a moment to control his nerves and try to come to grips with the situation. Axel was taken by an ambulance, not a police car, so that must mean that he was safe from the Gestapo's clutches, but something bad had still happened to him.

Leon walked over to the two females, his chest heaving from having run all this way, and Aerith broke free from Mrs. Guntram's grip and ran to Leon, throwing her small arms around his waist and sobbing into his stomach, her tiny body shaking violently. The man draped his arms around the girl's shoulders, offering her the only comfort that he could give her. As he looked down at the broken child in his arms, his eyes followed the spots of blood that trailed from his feet back to the entrance of the building. He then looked up at the elderly woman before him, his questioning blue eyes meeting her aged hazel, searching for answers. Her frown was unbecoming of her, and she looked very exhausted. She could only offer him answers as to what had just taken place, but past that, she did not know.

_What do we do now?_

* * *

**_*Litter - The name for the types of stretchers used back in the WWII era. It's frame was built of wood, aluminum, or steel, with a sheet of material used to hold the wounded. You typically see a very basic example of these kinds of stretchers being used in cartoons, with two wooden poles being threaded through the sides of a white sheet._**

**_And to those who asked and/or are not educated in the American South's 'culture' (even I laughed a little at that.), a potato cannon is, literally, a potato cannon. It's a cannon that shoots potatoes. A crude one can easily be made with plastic piping, hair spray, and a foil-wrapped potato. Don't be fooled - it's just as dangerous as an actual cannon._**

**_I'd really like to hear what everyone thinks about this chapter. _**


	30. And We'll Sit High in the Trees

_**A/N: Holy crap. Chapter 30. I'd just like to take this time to tell all of my readers, reviewers, fellow akuroku lovers, all of you lovely people that even look at this fic and say HOLY FUDGE POPS YOU PEOPLE ROCK MY RAINBOW TOE SOCKS. Seriously. You guys are the reason that this fic has gotten this far. Hell, you guys are the reason I rewrote this in the first place (to those who read the original before this...I am so sorry to have submitted something that half assed to begin with XD ) and made it like it is now. I try to answer all of my reviews as quick as I can, and to those I don't get around to answering, I am sorry, I am not ignoring you, I appreciate your feedback and words of encouragement :D So I give all of you big hugs and high fives as I present to you the biggest ball of friggin' fluff I've ever written. XD Enjoy.**_

* * *

***Week 7, Day 43, Thursday***

***Five Days Remaining***

After spending almost a week at Uncle Cid's house and catching up with his old friends back in Georgia, it was time for Roxas and Sora to go back home. Their original flight back to Pennsylvania at eight in the morning was cancelled due to aircraft engine malfunction and was rescheduled for eight o' clock in the evening. No one really complained about it, not even Sora, who spent the day spending quality time with the dogs, keeping the three blue (and one red) heelers occupied and therefore giving Roxas and Axel the chance to do something without Axel being antsy. Now that Roxas knew the reason why Axel didn't like dogs, he stopped making fun of the Preta about it.

Instead, the pair spent the day messing around with the four wheelers. The day before at the Cabin supper, Axel got his first experience operating the ATV firsthand. Of course, due to the demographics of where Roxas lived, someone Axel's supposed age was just expected to know how to use one. Thankfully Roxas was able to run Axel through how to use one before he actually got on one. Even Axel was surprised at how quickly he had gotten the hang of it. To everyone else, it was just like he had been riding one all his life. Axel was fitting in eerily well. But all things had to come to an end, because after the party, Axel returned the opal charm to Yuffie. Roxas was kind of hoping that Yuffie would let Axel keep it, but he knew it was for the best.

Roxas drove for the majority of the time since he had the most experience, with Axel either provoking races from him on foot with his inhuman supernatural speed or sitting on the back with his long legs dangling idly off the back of the machine as they rode across several fields and went through several paths that Roxas and Sora had created with their own four wheelers many summers back. Roxas would let Axel drive sometimes, but only whenever they were out of eyesight of the farm. It would be really hard for him to explain to his uncle or one of the farm hands how he was driving a four-wheeler when he wasn't holding onto the handlebars.

It was an overall fun experience for the both of them, finally being able to do something alone together that didn't involve secrecy or being cooped up in Roxas' bedroom. There were a few instances that Roxas had to swat Axel off of him because he was either trying to tickle him, grope him or even nibble on his neck while he was driving. Axel just found it funny. Roxas wasn't amused, at least he tried to act like he wasn't.

They eventually ended up on a trail that lead them back to the Cabin down the road. Instead of hopping off there, Roxas rode them down a small slope behind the Cabin to the small lake behind it. It wasn't very big, but it was enough to provide a nice fishing hole or swimming area. There were actually two of them, the bigger one on top of a small hill and the other slightly smaller lake at the base of it that Uncle Cid had actually made himself. This was something that Axel had a hard time wrapping his head around. Roxas tried to explain to him that the smaller lake was made as a runoff lake for the larger one at the top of the hill to prevent flooding and erosion with a pipe connecting the two underground, but it was obvious that he had absolutely no interest in the topic whatsoever when he licked the side of Roxas' neck.

They finally parked the four-wheeler once they reached the smaller body of water. Uncle Cid had built a dock, where Sora, Roxas and his friends spent many days fishing off of it or jumping off of it into the water on a hot summer day. Roxas noticed that Uncle Cid had added a bench of sorts at the end of the dock on the left side, looking out onto the deepest part of the lake where somewhere beneath the watery depths was a huge pickup truck and old school bus submerged under the water and used as a nesting spot for fish. Roxas' family got a small source of income from people wanting to fish here this way. But luckily, no one was around today.

"Look, you're a vampire." Roxas snickered as he sat beside Axel on the edge of the dock, their feet dangling over the edge, but only the very tips of Axel's boots were able to meet the very surface of the murky water.

"What the heck are you talking about?" Axel looked at Roxas like he had grown another head.

"Look." Roxas pointed down into the water before them, pointing out his own reflection in the water, but Axel didn't have one.

"How about that." Axel's nose scrunched up as he inspected the water beneath him where his reflection should have been. "I've never noticed that before."

"You mean you've been around sixty years and you didn't know you didn't have a reflection?"

"When you're in my situation, there are much more important things to worry about besides my nonexistent reflection, like finding my next meal. Besides, I'm not supposed to be visible in the first place, remember?"

"If it's any consolation, I'd still like you even if you were a vampire."

"Is that true or do you have some sort of Twihard vampire fantasy?" Axel teased. Roxas was not surprised at all that Axel even knew about Twilight. It was everywhere. He'd either have to be extremely unobservant or dead not to know about it.

"You're lucky I'm a nice person."

"And why's that?"

"Because I've decided that I won't go through with the idea of pushing you off the dock for that."

"It wouldn't have made much of a difference. I would have pulled you in with me."

"But I have clothes on."

"So do I, but that wouldn't have stopped you."

"I've got a cell phone and my Ipod in my pocket, too. And I know even you wouldn't want my Ipod to get ruined, would you?"

"Touche." Axel slid back on the dock and rose to his feet. Roxas was still looking into the water, watching small ripples pass beneath his feet and uninterested in whatever Axel was doing until he heard the sound of a zipper coming unzipped.

"That got your attention, huh?" Axel laughed as Roxas whipped his head around so fast that he almost got whiplash. Axel had unzipped his coat and shrugged it off of his shoulders, his marred torso exposed as he pulled it off and tossed over onto the bench carelessly.

"Um…what are you doing?" Roxas said in confusion.

"All this talk about being pushed in the water makes me want to go for a swim. I haven't been in a swimming pool or anything like that in ages." Axel replied casually as he sat down on the bench and started taking his boots off.

"Do you even know how?"

"Swimming isn't something you forget with time." Axel paused as he brought one of his glove-covered hands to his teeth and yanked his bare hand free as the other fumbled with the last lace on his boot, then switching hands and doing the same to his other hand. The gloves slipped past his knees and fell onto the dock carelessly. "You should join me." Axel's head shot up as he said the last sentence, smiling and his bright green eyes hopeful.

"I'll have to pass." Roxa shook his head.

"Aw, come on, humor me for just a little while."

"We've got to leave soon to get to the airport, though." Roxas said in his defense.

"Psh, yeah, like in five hours. Maybe half an hour of swimming in the lake isn't going to kill you."

"But I already took a shower this morning, I don't want to have to take another one."

"Fine, my little prima donna," Axel pouted sarcastically as he laid his boots beside him on the bench before rising to his feet again. "if I drown, it'll be your fault."

"Like I'm really gonna buy that, Mr. Immortal." Roxas shot back, making the Preta glare at him challengingly. A huge smirk curled on the Preta's thin lips as he took a few steps backwards and then broke into a sprint, jumping off the edge of the dock with his black pants still on.

"Wooo!" The redhead exclaimed as he curled into a cannonball position as he hit the water, causing a huge wave of water that was big enough to completely soak Roxas, despite the blonde's efforts to shield himself from the onslaught.

"Gahh!" Roxas growled as he shook his arms, looking down to assess the damage. He was definitely wet, and he could feel some of the water dripping down his face, but he wasn't soaked enough to the point that it would have harmed the electrical devices that were safely in his pockets, though he took them out of his pockets anyway and pushed them towards the dry center of the dock just to be safe. He was able to turn around in time to see the redhead surface only a few feet away from where he jumped in. "Dammit, Axel! You did that on purpose!"

"Maybe I did." Axel mused as he ran his fingers through his wet red hair, which was now flat on his shoulders instead of it's normal spiky style from the water. "Now you don't have much of an excuse _not_ to get in the water."

"I don't want to!"

"Come on," Axel groaned as he sank a little into the water to shoulder depth, the depth of the water initially coming up to a few inches just below his chest. "When are we honestly going to have another opportunity like this?"

Roxas chewed on his lip thoughtfully as he thought about what Axel said. He did have a point. Chances to be alone with Axel like this in a wide-open space was very rare and in between; he really shouldn't let this pass by. Giving in, Roxas begrudgingly got to his feet and kicked his shoes off, reaching back to pull his shirt over his head. He was not surprised in the slightest that Axel gave a wolf whistle while he did so.

"That's it, take it off," Axel catcalled from the water, his tone very much perverse as the smirk on his face. Roxas couldn't help but blush a little as he got the weirdest chills from Axel saying something like that, like as if he was glad that he was physically appealing to the redhead. Come to think of it, Axel didn't look all that bad either beneath his coat. Sure, he had lots of very significant scars and gashes in his skin, along with the fact that he was skinnier than even some of the girls he knew and looked like he needed a few extra pounds on him, but it was Axel's body. It just suited him. He wondered if Axel had been that skinny in his past life, too.

When Roxas' hands came to the button on the front of his pants, he became nervous. Should he take his pants off and just dive in with just his boxers on? Or should he just wear his pants? The tiny thought of going in the nude reared it's head for only a moment before Roxas shook his head, completely disregarding it. Yet something in the back of his mind had a feeling that at some point in time, they would be coming off anyway. And Axel _did_ say, in a way that almost made Roxas cream himself on the spot the night before, that his ass was going to be Axel's pretty soon.

"Hot damn." Axel hummed as Roxas took his pants off, leaving the blonde with only a dark blue pair of boxers on. He wasn't expecting his usually shy blonde prey to be comfortable swimming around his stalker in such thin fabric that is oh so easy to take off with just a flick of the wrist in an underwater attack. Or maybe he had something a little bolder in mind? Axel could have licked is lips at the very thought. The redhead's lecherous hopes were dashed, sadly, once it looked like Roxas was about to jump in the water. "Hey, come on now, I was enjoying your little strip tease."

"And leave me vulnerable to rape once I get in the water? No thanks." Roxas quickly followed up his statement by sticking his tongue out at Axel - exactly what got him into trouble last time.

"If you keep making those faces that only make you look incredibly cuter than you already are, I wouldn't be able to guarantee your safety even if you kept all of your clothes on." Axel grinned victoriously as the blush of defeat dusted Roxas' cheeks. "Aw, does that make the little Rrrroxy blush?"

"Stop it!" Roxas whined at the sound of the purring R's, his face only getting redder. Axel was_ so_ not helping the situation.

"No need to be shy. I know how much you like hearing it… _Rrrroxas_." Axel rolled the purr off his tongue sensually as his eyes flickered in a green mirth, and Roxas' shivered as the word seemed to literally danced down his spine and leave a trail of tingling in it's wake. It was like Axel's own fingers were trailing across his backside, slowly and with barely any pressure to leave a pleasurably ticklish sensation. _Aw hell_. Roxas' jaw couldn't help but unhinge itself in a slight gaping expression, his brows scrunching together cutely and his cobalt blue eyes wishing death on the redhead prowling in the water. If he thought when Axel purred his nickname was hot, it was utterly ridiculous how sexy his own name sounded in his ear.

_No no no, this can't be happening, not right now_! Roxas shook himself free of the brief trance that Axel's words had lead him into. Roxas' angle in Axel's line of vision was not going to help him at all of things kept continuing like this. He had to stop this tingling that was starting to pulse within him. Thinking fast, he quickly jumped into the water, though his splash upon entry wasn't as impressive as Axel's.

Roxas breathed an internal sigh of relief as he surfaced, the initially cold water being exactly what he needed to calm himself down. Just as he finished wiping his eyes, he grunted in surprise as a pair of arms gathered him up and hugged him tightly as Axel's soft laughter filled his ear, accompanied by the swishing water around them.

"It kills me sometimes how cute you are." Axel beamed at the teen in his arms and tilted his chin upwards to connect their lips in a sweet, chaste kiss. Roxas initially tensed up, expecting something more on the lustful side and was prepared to push Axel away, but when Axel's tongue didn't try to force it's way between his lips and his hands stayed comfortably wrapped around his waist, he started to let his guard down slowly with each passing moment. In fact, as their lips slowly caressed one another's and Axel's hand upon his chin slipped back to cradle Roxas' jaw in his palm with his thumb stroking the length of his jawbone, Roxas felt a sensation that he hadn't really ever felt before when kissing Axel. He felt like he was being cherished. It was a feeling that made him feel warm and almost bubbly on the inside, evident by the slight smile creeping up on the corner of his lip.

Soon, Roxas own hands started to slink up Axel's chest and intertwined his fingers around the back of Axel's neck, giving him the leverage he needed to hop up, the water leaving him virtually weightless as he curled his legs around Axel's waist. This gave him a little more height so Axel didn't have to crane his neck down that far and Roxas didn't have to feel a dull pain in the back of his as he kept his head angled upwards towards the redhead. They would part for breaths when necessary, only to continue this sweet interaction as quickly as they were able. It was then that Axel applied the slightest pressure to Roxas' lower lip with his tongue, but his intentions were still sweet and tender. Roxas greeted the muscle with his own, only the very tips of their tongues daring to venture forth to mingle with the other. The familiar taste of Axel infiltrated Roxas' senses and allowed him to slip into complete relaxation, half lidded eyes closing in sheer bliss. Where had a kiss like this come from? And how come it was hands down the best kind above all others that he had shared with Axel? Whatever the reason, Roxas wouldn't have minded staying right there by the dock in Axel's arms like this, kissing the day away until they missed their flight, until the moon rose high in the sky and their skin turned as pruny as a raisin.

When they finally parted ways, there was something different about himself, something different about Axel, something different about everything, but Roxas couldn't quite put his finger on it. He didn't let him bother him that much, favoring instead the gentle nuzzle of Axel's cheek upon his own, his eyes still closed as he felt Axel's lips brush across his cheek, slowly rising with his breath ghosting over his nose as they came to rest on the very center of his forehead. Roxas' fingers drifted until his palms framed the taller male's face, feeling the tightness in the muscle's of Axel's face as he smiled and moved so their foreheads rested upon one another, noses becoming familiar with one another. The brush of Axel's thick, long eyelashes on Roxas' cheekbones made the blonde open his eyes part of the way to see the same blissful peace that he felt in that moment being reflected right back at him, a spectacle for Roxas' enjoyment.

They both smiled, just looking at each other, both ignorant as to what this new feeling was, but just took pleasure in experiencing it with each other silently. Roxas' thumbs brushed along Axel's purple tear-shaped tattoos under his eyes, and Roxas was tempted to ask Axel how he had acquired such ink upon his face. But he thought that saying anything would just ruin the moment and remained quiet. Axel hummed like a cat's contentment with petting at Roxas' touch, his eyes closing for only a moment. Roxas couldn't think of a time in all of their time together that he had seen Axel this content and peaceful.

He also watched as that serene expression on the demon's face quickly turn sour as his never satisfied stomach gurgled with a humanly unnatural force, though Roxas couldn't hear it from under the water, he sure felt it vibrating violently just under his own belly button.

"Really?" Axel groaned as he rolled his eyes, embarrassed for it's sudden and ill-timed brashness. Sadly, he had no control over it. Roxas knew this, but that didn't stop the blonde from letting out a giggle. Apologetic green eyes looked at Roxas guiltily. "I'm really sorry about that. It really gets bad when I'm standing still like this."

"It's okay." Roxas giggled again and pecked the Preta's lips. "Well, let's get to swimming before it gets any crankier." He did make a mental note to brush his hair extra thoroughly when they got back to the house to try to help the problem. He was pretty sure if his stomach vibrated like that, it must hurt sometimes, even for Axel, who would sometimes make faces of discomfort when his stomach growled like that.

"Agreed." With that, Roxas' legs let go of Axel's waist as Axel released the teen, and they spent the next hour playing around in the murky waters, whether it be sneaking up on one another underwater or racing across to the other side of the lake and stopping to catch their breath as they got into splash fights before swimming back to the dock. Axel complained about the deeper water's mushy, muddy ground in comparison to the dock's shallower waters that were covered in sand. Roxas was pretty sure he had bumped into a fish or two during the duration of their time in the water as well.

When Roxas' phone started ringing, they both took that as their cue to get out and dry off so they could go back to the house. Axel wasn't concerned about his hair all that much, and busied himself with drying his pants as Roxas' answered the phone call.

"Hello?" Roxas answered casually.

"Good afternoon sweetie," The tender voice of his mother, Tifa, greeted him. "How is everything at Uncle Cid's?"

"Oh, everything's fine down here. Just been busy helping out around the farm and hanging out."

"You must have been having a lot of fun, you haven't called home once since you got there!"

"Sorry about that." Roxas said bashfully. Tifa always got onto him about not calling home whenever he was away for too long. He was way too consumed in all of the fun to remember calling his parents.

"Sora's called home several times, though. He didn't sound as happy about being there as you are."

"I don't know what his problem is, mom. He keeps moping about how he doesn't have any friends here, and I keep telling him if he just puts himself out there, people wont give him as much of a hard time."

"Has anyone said anything to you or Sora?"

"Said what?"

"Oh, you know, said anything mean or something along those lines."

"Mom, we aren't eight years old. You make it sound like we're being picked on by the school bully or something."

"There's no reason for you to get an attitude with me, Roxas." Tifa's tone became stern. "I'm only asking if anyone has been bothering you during your stay."

"No, no one's been bothering us. Why would they?"

"That's all I wanted to know."

"Mom, what the heck is going on? You aren't making any sense."

"It's nothing, sweetie. Don't worry yourself over it. Just know that your father and I will be at the airport to pick you up when you come back home." Tifa was making it pretty clear that she didn't want to talk about it any further. Roxas sighed in defeat. There wasn't any arguing with her after she's reached that point.

"Yeah, sure. See you then."

"All right honey, goodbye!" She hung up after that. Roxas looked at the end call screen with distaste clear on his face. Hadn't his father mentioned something about calling home if anyone bothered them when they had left? Something was wrong. His parents were keeping something from him.

"Hey, what's the rush?" Axel asked as he noticed Roxas throwing his clothes on despite the fact that he was still very wet.

"You just heard the conversation." Roxas said as he pulled his shirt over his head. "C'mon, we got to get back home now."

"But you're still soaking wet."

"I'll just change when we get back. I got to talk to Uncle Cid. He'll tell me what the heck is going on around here."

* * *

Axel didn't really know what to make of the current situation with Roxas and his uncle. From the sounds of it, it must be something very important if it's true that Roxas' parents were hiding something from him. The Preta wanted to give Roxas some privacy with his uncle as they talked, so he waited outside on the roof in his usual place on the edge of it, watching two Mexican workers out at the shop pressure washing one of the tractor trailers with the farm logo on the side. Movement caught the corner of his eye and he became slightly distracted by two of the Blue Heeler dogs that he had come to know as Willie Nelson and Scarlet play fighting over the same toy Roxas had been using to play with Dixie earlier in the week. The Preta scowled as they snapped and yipped at one another, what most people would find adorable. But the Preta didn't think it was funny, not at all.

He was contemplating the idea of setting fire to one of the dog's fur on their tails for sheer amusement and vengeance until he heard the familiar swishing noise of a corridor not too far away. His still slightly damp hair brushed over his shoulders as he looked over and saw Yuffie materialize a few feet away on the roof, smiling and approaching him with her black headband billowing in the slight breeze as she bounded over to him.

"Hey hotshot! Haven't seen you around all day, I was worried you and Roxas already left without saying goodbye!" She said cheerfully.

"Nah." Axel shook his head. "Just been running around and wasting time until we have to leave for the airport later."

"I'm guessing you went swimming, from how you're usually awesome spiky hair is flatter than pita bread right now."

"You could say that." Axel chuckled.

"Say, where is Roxas, anyway?" She asked as she looked out towards the shop, a palm resting at her forehead to shield her eyes from the blazing sun above them.

"Inside. His uncle had something important to tell him, apparently."

"Ahh. I wonder what it is, then." The female Preta mused as she moved to sit down beside Axel, her hands resting in her lap.

"I wouldn't be able to tell you." Axel shrugged. The two of them became quiet after that, both of them looking out towards the field beside the house that Roxas had cut towards the beginning of their visit, the ground littered with white wrapped hay bales that have yet to be collected from the yellow-green surface of the field. The silence allowed Axel's mind to wander, to recollect and think about all of the memories he and Roxas shared here on he farm during the vacation, the bittersweetness of it all leaving a bad taste in the Preta's mouth. He must have made a face, because Yuffie caught sight of it.

"What's wrong?" She asked inquisitively. Axel shook his head, a few drops of water splashing onto the leather of his coat on his lap and on Yuffie's shoulder.

"Nothing. Just thinking."

"About that whole having to leave in a few days, isn't it?" Yuffie's tone softened, sounding like she was pitying him.

"I don't have to leave," Axel corrected her with a sharp glare of his bright eyes. "I'm just going to be challenged and there's a chance that I _might_ have to leave."

"No matter how you word it, it's all the same." Yuffie shrugged. "I'm guessing you still haven't told Roxas about it?"

"No. He doesn't need to know." Axel shook his head again. "He'd be heartbroken."

"Don't you think he'd be heartbroken anyway, waking up one day and find out that his boyfriend is gone?" Axel was a little surprised at Yuffie's choice of words, uncertainty written all over his face.

"Boyfriend?" Axel repeated the wretched word that brought forth this feeling.

"Well yeah, you are Roxas' boyfriend, right?" Yuffie indirectly stated with a 'duh.'

"…I guess." Axel didn't know how he felt the word settled in his stomach. 'Boyfriend' was too much of a casual term to describe his relationship with Roxas, it didn't make any sense…it seemed so human. And that was exactly what Axel wasn't. It was a title that Axel didn't feel like he deserved. What else would work, then? Beloved? Beau? Partner? Sweetheart? No, none of them worked, either. They didn't belong to him, at least not rightfully. They had both grown quiet again as Axel pondered over this 'boyfriend' situation.

"You both seem like you're so happy together…" Yuffie finally said dreamily. "There's got to be something you could do…you know, in the very least, leave something behind for him in the even that you do have to leave."

"Like what? I don't exactly have much of anything to give him." Axel replied flatly.

"I'm not talking like going out and buying him roses or chocolates - in our case, stealing them. I dunno, what does Roxas really seem to like?"

"He likes ice cream, but I can't really give him that." Axel pondered over his options, trying to think hard of something that he could do, absolutely anything that would be suitable for him to leave with Roxas or do for him if he had to leave. "He does like his music, I know that for a fact."

"I know! Why don't you sing him a song?"

"You're kidding, right?" Axel snorted. "Even I know I'm horrible at singing."

"Oh come on, you can't be that bad."

"Have you ever heard a banshee scream?"

"No."

"Would you like a demonstration?"

"…On second thought, I think I'll pass."

"That's what I thought."

"Okay then, how about you write him a song?"

"I'm not that much of a creative person."

"Are you serious about this or are you going to shoot down every single idea I throw out to you?" Yuffie started to sound a little irritated by Axel's wet blanket attitude.

"Yes I'm serious, just give me a minute." Axel's own frustration showed itself in the action of his hair letting off steam as it was starting to dry itself from the heightened heat of Axel's body, his hair slowly starting to regain volume. He continued to rack his brain for an idea, and by the time his hair was almost completely dry, he had found the answer, his eyes lighting up like a flame. "Got it."

"Really? Cool! What is it?"

"Not telling."

"Awwh! Why not? !" Yuffie pouted. "It's not like I'll be around to see it happen anyway!"

"Because you might get excited and tell Roxas on accident." He explained impassively.

"Grr," Yuffie grumbled, knowing that she had been beat. "If I could, I'd totally follow you guys back and watch what happens!"

"Is our relationship really that interesting to you?" Axel asked with a perked brow, unsure of what to make it.

"Not so much your relationship as it is that it entertains me. Not much happens around here." Yuffie sighed boredly. "Until you guys came and visited, I had absolutely nothing to do and no one to talk to. I am kinda sad to see you guys leave, because then I have to get back to that."

"I get that you have to stay because of your fixation, but couldn't you just jump from one farm to another every once in a while for a change of scenery?"

"Ten, maybe twenty years ago I could. I don't know how much you pay attention to modern day news since it doesn't really concern us, but the economy in this country is getting hit pretty hard. A lot of the farmers around here have gone out of business, not only because of the economy but the fact that there's been an ongoing drought down here for a while. It rains every once in a while but it's not nearly enough to get the grass tall enough as quickly as the farmers would like it to so they can harvest it. There are only about two other farms left in this county, and they aren't doing so well anyway. Roxas' uncle has been able to escape some of that brutality by investing in dirt."

"Yeah, I know, Roxas told me that. He can say he lives on a 'farm' but when I think about a farm, selling gravel and cow manure doesn't exactly come to mind."

"I know." Yuffie chuckled. "Modern day farms aren't what they appear to be in children's books or television anymore."

"A lot of things on this plane aren't like they used to be." If Yuffie had been listening closely enough, she would have been able to hear the almost wistful tone in Axel's voice when he said that. "Some of it is for the better, though, that's for sure."

"Yeah." Yuffie nodded in agreement. "And as much as I'd love to be able to travel around and see new places, my stomach prefers convenience over luxury. So here I stay," Yuffie extended her arm dramatically over the Grimm estate, "against my will. You know, I kind of envy you, Axel."

"And why's that?"

"Because your hunger allows you to have face to face interaction with new people all the time, even if they're human. It's almost as if you're still living, you know? People know you exist. They can see you because you don't have any other choice. Unless you just went around ripping people's hair out," Yuffie shrugged, giving him a questioning glare, her answer being a perked brow and unamused frown. "Right, I knew you were better than that. But like I was saying, it probably takes a lot of work on your part to get what you need, but you still get that communication that most Pretas only dream of. And for you to end up in this kind of relationship with a human? Totally bizarre and questionable, but that's the beauty I see in it."

"You wanna know something?"

"What?"

"You're the first person that's ever said anything positive about mine and Roxas' relationship."

"That's because they're jealous." Yuffie snickered. "You've got a type of hunger that almost requires you to have extended interaction with people and others don't. I'm assuming you're talking about other Pretas. I hope Roxas hasn't said anything to another mortal." Axel shook his head. He knew Roxas wasn't stupid like that. Who would believe him? "I guess all I'm really trying to say is that I think you've got it better than most souls that end up this way. I bet you were a really nice person in your past life that just ended up making one big mistake on accident. Good karma affects you that way, you know."

"Hm." Axel looked away from Yuffie, his posture and demeanor making it obvious that he didn't wish to talk about the matter any further. He would have hoped that Yuffie wouldn't press the matter until the sound of the back door opening caught his attention, along with Yuffie's. Roxas had come back outside, but he didn't look too happy. He didn't look happy at all. He shoved his hands into his pockets, scowling as repulsion radiated off of him like an aura as he walked out from under the car port and started walking away from the house, towards a long dirt road that lead through a field up to a hill about a quarter of a mile away. Axel had watched several trucks hauling dirt frequent that road, so no doubt it lead to the highway on the other side. But why was Roxas walking towards it?

"Uh oh…" Yuffie said nervously as she watched the blonde walk off in a huff.

"What, what's wrong?"

"When Roxas lived down here, he always went out to walk on that dirt road whenever he was upset or if he wanted to be alone. He'd walk up and down that road for hours sometimes if he really didn't want to be bothered. Something must have happened." Axel didn't say anything in response, but the sound of the redhead shifting around to get to his feet caught Yuffie's attention. "Where are you going?"

"What do you think?" Axel said flatly, but Yuffie looked skeptical.

"…If you were anyone else, I'd tell them not to bother him. He goes out there to let out steam and usually never lets anyone accompany him, not even Sora. But he ends up bottling it up inside and I don't like to see him do that to himself. He might need someone to talk to."

"I guess I'll see you later, then." Yuffie smiled and gave him a wave as he slipped into the darkness of a portal, resurfacing by the shed that Roxas had just passed by moments ago.

Axel didn't go off after Roxas right away at first. Rather, he thought it would be best to allow the blonde a few minutes to cool off and get past his imminent crabbiness if Axel were to step in now. If the circumstances were different, Axel would have left Roxas alone and give him his space. What Yuffie didn't know was that his reason for following Roxas like this wasn't to comfort him, but to guard him while the teen was in a vulnerable state of mind. He didn't want to risk Roxas being out there in the open field that far from the house, where another Heartless might decide to spring up at any moment while he's brooding and not paying attention. There was no chance in hell that Axel was going to let that happen again. He found his happy medium as he reached back behind his shoulders and begrudgingly pulled the hood of his black coat over his head. This way he could quietly trail behind Roxas and keep a close eye on him without disturbing him, since donning the hood would revert Axel back to his naturally invisible self and was undetectable by all Earthly mortals, with the exception of those highly attuned to the supernatural, such as mediums. Unfortunately, it didn't make him any less visible to other Pretas, the only security it offered there being that it shielded Axel's identity.

He really didn't like wearing his hood, because it made his hair stick into the back of his neck uncomfortably and make it itch like crazy. But it was a small price to pay as he followed behind Roxas in the safety of his own invisibility. The field that the dirt road lead through was another hay field, split down the middle by the path of sand and gravel. The grass looked to be not much taller than Axel's ankle, so it was nowhere near ready for harvesting. The Preta could see several tall weeds rising high above the ground from occasional side-glances around the area, adorned with what looked like prickly pink and purple-colored 'flowers'. If there weren't already a grim undertone, Axel would have thought that walking down this road was pleasant. He could only imagine how much better it looked if the grass was taller, billowing helplessly in a gentle breeze that accompanied a summer sunset while the katydids screamed their serenade in the background. Maybe it was because he was a sucker for sunsets, but in his opinion, that would truly be something worth seeing.

After two rounds of going up and down this road and Axel about fifteen paces behind, Axel saw him hesitate when they came to the top of the hill. He had turned around and looked as though he was about to start walking back, but his attention was preoccupied with something else off towards the left. Soon Roxas was off again, but this time he was walking in a different direction, off of the dirt road and towards an oak tree not too far away. Axel followed him, wondering what his prey was up to.

He expected Roxas to take a seat under the tree since he seemed to be focused solely on it alone, but it took Axel by surprise as Roxas reached up to a low hanging branch and was able to pull himself up with nearly acrobatic strength. Roxas hadn't lied when he told Axel that he was climbing trees; it was like he belonged up there, maneuvering between the foliage and branches and sliding past narrow openings made by thicker branches. Axel stopped short at the trunk of the tree, keeping a hand on the rim of his hood to ensure it didn't fall off as he watched Roxas trapeze through the tree. Roxas seemed to be doing it out of sheer sport at first, gradually ascending higher and higher, up until the point that the branches weren't as big and too flimsy to continue safely, and started climbing back down. The Preta bit the corner of his lip as an amusing thought of Roxas being a spider monkey in a past life. Judging by what he was seeing, it was highly possible.

He thought that Roxas was getting out of the tree, but he was proven wrong as the blonde perched himself on a branch several feet high into the air, his legs dangling over the side with his actions appearing antsy as he held his forehead in his hands, running his fingers over his tawny colored hair. He still didn't make an attempt to approach. He would just wait for Roxas to notice him on his own time. If he wanted Axel's company, he would say so.

After ten minutes slowly dragged by, and by that point Axel's attention was elsewhere in the distance before he heard Roxas say something.

"Um… Axel?" He was testing the area, waiting for a response. He didn't know if Axel was around or not, because his back was facing him and he was several feet up into the tree, so he wasn't aware that the Preta was already there.

"I'm here." He replied after he pushed his hood back and let it fall back on his shoulders. He saw Roxas turn his body to look over and down to where Axel stood beneath the tree, and he heard the faintest sound of Roxas sighing.

"I thought so." The blonde murmured.

"What, would you rather me leave you alone? I will if you need me to." Axel said, thinking it was Roxas' way of telling him to go away.

"No, that's not what I meant." Roxas turned back to how he had been previously sitting with his back facing Axel. "I just didn't hear you or anything. I figured you were nearby somewhere."

"I was." Axel admitted. "But you looked like you needed a little bit of time to yourself. Are you all right?" There was a long pause, long enough that Axel thought he was being ignored.

"I don't really know, to be honest." Roxas finally said, neither sounding angry or sad. Perhaps it was somewhere in between. "I don't know who I should be more upset with – my parents, this town, or myself." The churning noise of a dissipating corridor almost startled the blonde as Axel changed his position from the base of the tree to a branch right across from him, the Preta still giving Roxas some space but close enough to provide some assurance.

"You know I'm here to listen if you need to vent to someone to sort out the answer." It was Axel's indirect way of asking what happened. Roxas looked up at him and almost looked like he was ready to spill his guts, his mouth starting to form words until he stopped himself and frowned.

"I can say the same thing to you." The bitterness in Roxas' voice was very clear. Axel knew that Roxas was hinting towards his secrecy that at times bordered paranoia. There always appeared to be a small splash of paranoia in Axel's life, whether it was sixty years ago or now.

"How about this," Axel prepared for a compromise. "If you tell me what's troubling you, I'll tell you something that's bugging me as well. That work for you?"

"Fair enough." Roxas hummed, then sighed again as he started to divulge the details. "Well, we came back and I went and talked to Uncle Cid. I told him about how my mom and dad were acting weird about me and Sora coming to stay for the week. He got cranky and started spouting off how my dad's a coward and wouldn't tell me why we really moved to Pennsylvania in the first place, because I'm going to be eighteen pretty soon and I'm 'man enough' to hear the truth. I asked him what he meant by that, because my dad told me we had to move because he got a job offer there. Apparently, that was only half of the story.

Before Mom got pregnant with Sora, Dad worked for a contracting company in Dublin, which isn't too far from here, but it's a little over an hour drive. Most of the work was nearby but Dad would sometimes be gone for a couple of days if they had a project that was out of the way and too far to drive back and forth every day. It was only for a couple, maybe once it was four, but he was home just as much as he was out on the job. Mom was a bookkeeper for Uncle Cid in the office, so I was here all the time when I was little. Dad and Uncle Cid grew up here, so they had a lot of friends and had good reputations, so Mom and I were included into it by default. I was only four back then so it didn't make a difference to me. There was this one time though that Dad got dragged into a construction job up near Sparta and Milledgeville by the company and was gone for almost two months. That's how it all started.

See, my family is huge, I'm talking big enough that I hardly even know how I'm related to half of them. But you know my cousin Tidus, right? You met him at the Cabin yesterday. His dad's name is Jecht, but me and Sora call him Uncle Jecht. We aren't really related to him because he's Aunt Shera's cousin, but we know him. Well, Aunt Shera was close to my mom, and she was close to Uncle Jecht too, so my mom and Uncle Jecht knew each other. He's a teacher, but he also helped out on the farm from time to time if he happened to be nearby and Uncle Cid needed some help. While Dad was gone, our septic tank blew a leak or something, I don't know, it was something weird like that, and Uncle Cid and Uncle Jecht had to fix it. Uncle Cid would have to leave a lot though because he had a farm to run, so it was mostly Uncle Jecht doing the work with a couple of the Mexican workers helping him. Since my mom knew Uncle Jecht, she'd invite him in sometimes for lunch or for a break if it was really hot outside. That's all it was, just courtesy to a family member and that's all.

Southern people are just infamous for being extremely intolerant, whether it be black people or Mexicans or people from the North. I hate to say that's kind of true, but not everyone's like that, me being a good example of that. Anyway, I guess some people didn't like my mom because she was from the North, you know, the typical city girl falling for a Southern boy thing. So when someone heard that Uncle Jecht was spending a lot of time at my house, people started gossiping. It didn't last very long once Dad got home and the sewage line was fixed, which meant that Uncle Jecht wasn't hanging around anymore, so people got quiet.

Now this is where shit starts getting ridiculous. My mom has brown hair, my dad's eyes are blue. So Sora's hair is brown, my dad's eyes are blue. But God no, just because a kid looks exactly like his parents doesn't mean he's actually theirs. When Sora was born, people were saying that his due date wasn't for another two months. People started talking shit that my mom was a whore and was cheating on Dad, and Sora was proof of it. And when Uncle Jecht caught wind of it, he flipped a shit. He was over at our house to fix our leaking sewage line, not having sex with my mom! But once people's minds are made up, it's really hard to change it. Mom started being ostracized by people she thought were her friends, and the gossip and rumors were getting worse and worse as time went on. No matter what my mom, my dad, or Uncle Cid did or said, it didn't get any better. Then when Sora was in elementary school, somehow there were rumors going around about Sora being an unruly child. I swear to God, the worst thing Sora probably ever did when he was a kid was eat glitter or something stupid like that. So kids started picking on Sora because their parents told him he was someone that they should avoid contact with because he 'wasn't good enough for their kids.' I shit you not. Nothing was said about me, though, because I was already here.

A couple of years ago, the gossip storm was already starting to settle down, either having grown bored of the topic or everyone came to the realization that they were just wasting their time because it wasn't true. This past year Sora was supposed to start seventh grade. And guess just who was going to be his homeroom teacher? Our Uncle Jecht. Once Mom found out, she freaked. She was so sure that when Sora started going to school that the rumors would come back and she start getting criticized again, and the bullying that was piling up on her and Sora would get worse. So after nagging Dad over and over and over again, he finally gave up and agreed to move back to Pennsylvania where my Mom is from after he secured a job at another construction company up there. And that's the real story."

Axel sat there and listened to Roxas' story quietly, hearing the frustration rise and fall in Roxas' voice as he repeated it to the demon. Once Roxas finished, he let out a growl as he placed his forehead in his hands again.

"I just don't know what to think about it, Axel! I can understand them not wanting Sora to know, but they could have at least told me. I liked living here in Georgia. I didn't want to leave. I felt like they were taking away my entire life and tearing it to pieces. But I guess in the end, it was the best thing to do for Sora. Which I totally understand. What's pissing me off is that I don't know who I should be mad at. Should I be mad at my Mom and Dad for lying to me? Should I be mad at the people that started and spread the rumors? Or should I be mad at myself for stupidly thinking that life down here was perfect and that society here did no wrong? All this time I've been telling myself how much better my life was here because everyone was nice and close-knit and constantly comparing the negatives of my new life back home with only the positives of my old one here. I've been thinking that people here could do no wrong, the community could do no wrong, when it's just been me being selfish the whole time. I've just been selfish and self-centered about this whole situation that I haven't taken the time to see the good in any of it. I just…ugh…I hate it. This really sucks…"

Axel took this as his cue for giving Roxas support and moved off of the branch he was sitting on to sit down next to the livid teen, curling an arm around his shoulders and sliding him over to his side, hugging him around the shoulders comfortingly as Roxas seethed. Roxas had done most of the thinking for himself already, so there was no need for Axel to put any of his own two cents into it. It was all a matter of Roxas letting it out into the open with someone he trusted to allow him to finally start getting over it. Roxas responded to the gesture by laying his head on Axel's shoulder, his anger still simmering in the silence, slowly being salved by the relief that came from getting such a burden off of his chest and the comfort of a kind hand.

"I'm sorry." Roxas apologized in a hushed tone once he had allowed himself to calm down, feeling guilty for making Axel have to listen to all of that.

"It's fine." Axel laid his head on top of Roxas', pushing the thought of how nice it would be to nibble on the sweet smelling hair in his face away as he maintained his self control at such a crucial time. "You just needed to get it all off of your chest. Do you feel any better?"

"A little." It certainly helped, but it would take some time to get over it completely. Moments of silence passed before Roxas spoke again as a relaxing thought crossed his mind that made all of this a little easier to swallow once he had Axel close to him like this, smiling weakly as he closed his eyes. "I know I sounded all like 'doom and gloom' earlier, but I know one good thing did come of all of this."

"And that would be?" Axel lifted his head once he felt Roxas pushing against it with his own to try to lift his head and was somewhat surprised when Roxas looked up and kissed him briefly, a kiss that was short but sweet. When Roxas pulled away, he was smiling.

"If we hadn't moved, I never would have met you." Roxas murmured at a softer volume, sounding shy to even say something like that aloud despite the fact that they were alone. Yet despite the fact that he had said it so quietly, it rang in Axel's ears loud and clear. The combination of such sweet words being said to him, about him, with those lovely blue eyes that Axel could never get enough of and that smile, that beautiful smile that was both modest and sincere and his cheeks that became increasingly pinker the longer Axel stared was making the redhead feel high as a kite. How could Roxas say something like that to him? He didn't deserve it… but even if that was true, he had said them anyway, and he meant it. For some reason, this boy, this human, was looking at a god awful truth that was tough to handle and somehow managed to look through it all and say the best thing out of it was meeting a damned soul that couldn't and wouldn't stop adoring him even if he tried. Roxas had given him a whole new meaning to his life now. It was all staring right back at him in those big blue eyes.

Axel didn't really know how to express himself other than to steal Roxas' lips away again, drugged on this revelation as he closed his eyes and gathered Roxas' face in his hand, wanting to just drown himself completely in it. He felt such happiness, and yet so much pain as he knew that this was only going to make goodbye even harder for him. Just as Roxas was starting to react to the kiss, Axel pulled away and looked upon the other male in his arms tenderly.

"Now I'll tell you something that's been bothering me. The truth is, Roxas, is that lately I've been worried about everything that's been happening and how it's affecting us. The Heartless, Siax, Demyx, anyone and anything that's been trying to get between us and tell us that what we're doing is wrong. I've been afraid that the unknown was going to drive you away from me and that I don't deserve this kind of friendship or this kindness that you've given me because I'm a Preta, and Pretas are like the scum of this plane, the lowest you can possibly get without being in Hell." He poked Roxas in the chest lightly. "But I haven't been giving you the credit you really deserve. If I was really that insignificant, then why did fate bring me here to you? I know that sounds really sappy, and trust me, it doesn't happen often and it really creeps me out to say something like that, but that's how I feel. You haven't given up on me no matter what's happened. I know that I have to do what my stomach commands if I want to atone for myself, but I am completely honest when I say that in all of my sixty years walking around on this Earth, I have never been nearly as happy as I am now with you. Why would I want that to end?"

"Wow…" Roxas' face was beet red as he heard Axel tell him this, not having expected this at all. He made Axel happy? But it was the other way around… what had he done to receive something like this? "…You really feel that way?"

"I wouldn't lie about something like that. Do you not believe me?"

"No…I've just never really heard someone say something like that to me before." Upon hearing Axel's words, Axel smiled and leaned down and kissed Roxas' cheek.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I've never told another something like that, even while I was alive?" Axel whispered in his ear like it was a huge secret.

"Haven't you had other relationships with people besides me, though…?"

"I've only had a real relationship with one other man. I've crushed on others, but I've never said something that heartfelt to any of them. You're the first."

"I guess that makes me the first to tell you that you make me happy too." It was bold of Roxas to say, yes, much bolder than anything he would usually say, but it was true. Axel found his confirmation as Roxas smiled again. Wordlessly they both leaned in and shared another kiss, a new intensity and electricity pulsing back and forth from one another as they kissed again, and again, and again.

Eventually, it was time for them to leave their secluded hideaway and head back to the farm. Technically, Axel could have shortened the trip and just portaled them there, but there was no rush, no hurry to get back anytime soon. Instead, they maneuvered and jumped out of the tree and started to walk back on foot to the farm on that dusty dirt road, their hands intertwined and fingers laced together as they walked back together, a gentle happiness shared.

* * *

_**A/N: D'awwwwww... the fluff has striked with a vengance! **_

_**I just have to leave it as it is with it's tooth-decaying sweetness. Gah. Sadness later, cuteness now. Doesn't help at all that I was listening to 'Here I Am' from the Spirit: Stallion of the Cimmaron(sp?) and 'Never Knew I Needed' by Ne-Yo while writing this chapter. Music influences what and how I write. Which I'm sure is true for a lot of people.**_

_**I went back recently and have read this fic from the beginning to right now, and I have to say, I have a horrible habit of messing up the tiny details. So just so you guys aren't like "wait, what?", Axel's been a Preta for 60 years, and I believe in the last chapter or so I've been putting 50, which is incorrect. I've gone back and corrected those mistakes, and also edited the warning in the first chapter to include the use of the Holocaust in the story. But nothing significant or worth worrying about. :)**_


	31. Free At Last

Aerith cried for hours. The intensity would rise and fall periodically, ranging from whimpers and sniffles to sobbing and shaking violently, but it became a constant drone in Leon's ear because Aerith refused to leave Leon's side. Her entire life, Axel was always there by her side, raising her and guiding her to the best of his ability. Even when while their parents were alive, Axel was a constant and never faltering source of support. She could barely even remember her adoptive parents, so she was completely indifferent when it came to her memory of them. Axel was her brother, her father, her friend, and the center of her small, small world.

And now that world was crumbling to the ground around her because for the first time, Axel wasn't there to comfort her when her very worst nightmares played out before her own eyes. Even now in the safety of Leon's flat, she still couldn't shake those horrible images of her brother's attack from her memory as they looped continuously in her mind. That day Aerith would never forget, because it scarred her so deeply that she was never quite the same in the aftermath. All that was left now were questions, so many questions, but the misery and dread of possible abandonment stole her voice's ability to speak coherent words, only left with the wails, cries and hiccups she made instead. Where was Axel? Where did they take him? Is he dead? Why did he die, why did he leave her? Why were the red men so evil? Why?

Mrs. Guntram had way too much on her plate after that ordeal with handling the legal matters with the Gestapo, so after much thought, Leon ended up looking after Aerith in her place that night. The elderly woman assured him and Aerith that she would let them know of Axel's condition once she had settled things with the authorities the next morning. Leon would have gone to the hospital himself, but he neither had the transportation or the time at the moment with a crippled brother and a child experiencing a nervous breakdown. He also had a shop he had to manage the next day as well.

Once Leon brought a shattered Aerith back to his home, she refused to be away from Leon for any given amount of time, even when Zack tried to get her to play with him to try to get her mind off of Axel's unknown whereabouts. With Axel gone, she was experiencing separation anxiety and abandonment issues, most likely a result of how Axel had unintentionally made her completely dependent on him that she didn't know how to properly function without him, attaching herself to the next best thing, which was Leon. Leon consoled her as best as he could, but he wasn't used to having a crying, fragile child clinging to him like Aerith was. He offered her food, but she wouldn't eat. She just sat there, clinging to his arm while her cries finally started to fade into an eerie silence. Once she had calmed down, Leon tried to talk to her, but she wouldn't speak. Nothing was working.

Leon finally gave up and decided that it was time for bed. His original plan had been to sleep on the couch while Aerith slept in his bed, but Aerith still refused to be left alone. So he ended up sitting on the couch with the child curled up in his lap, her silence proving to be much more unsettling than her cries. She had a distant look in here eye, like she was there physically but her mind had been stolen away. Leon had dozed off several times during the night, but he wasn't sure if Aerith had slept at all. This continued on for another day and a half before Leon received any kind of word about Axel's condition.

"He a good bit of blood on the rid over to the hospital, they told me." Mrs. Guntram explained to the shopkeeper in a hushed whisper so Aerith couldn't hear them on the other side of the isle, Leon having finally made a small amount of progress with Aerith's obsession to be near him and was able to distract her with the ribbon bins when Mrs. Guntram came in. "They had to give him a transfusion and then knock him out so they could fix him up. Bless his doctor, I say, because he was able to patch him back together during the night before anything worse happened. He said Axel will be able to walk just fine, but his right leg is going to be weak for a while because of the muscle damage. He's got stitches all over the place, the poor thing."

"Do you know if he's well enough to visit?" Leon asked.

"When I went in to see him yesterday evening he was drugged up on pain medication and still coming out of the physiological shock, so I don't think he even knew I was there. I got a phone call this morning that his mental health was stable, so he can see visitors now." Since the only family Axel had on documentation was a child, Mrs. Guntram was listed as his healthcare surrogate and was able to see him when he wasn't yet stable enough for visitors.

"How long are visiting hours?"

"I believe they end at seven in the evening."

"Okay, I'll close up shop early in about half an hour and take Aerith to see him. Thank you, Mrs. Guntram."

"It's my pleasure, dear." The old woman smiled warmly. "Axel is like a grandson to me, so of course I would want to look after him at a time like this. I'm just happy that he has someone besides me and little Aerith to call a friend. All work and no play isn't good for a man so young, I say."

"You're a very wise woman." Leon said, agreeing with her statement.

"And you my dear are a very charming young man." Mrs. Guntram chuckled. "I'm sure you have a nice lady friend, yes? You must see if you can do Axel a favor and get him a nice little lady of his own! I'm sure it would make him very happy."

"I'll keep that in mind." Leon's brow perked as he gave her a friendly smile.

"Say, would you like for me to keep Zack for you while you and Aerith go to the hospital? I wouldn't want the poor dear to get hurt from walking up and down those stairs."

"You would do that for me?"

"Why of course. It's the least I could do since you've been keeping Aerith while I've been dealing with this sad chain of events and the legal issues."

"I'd greatly appreciate that, ma'am. Thank you very much."

Shortly after that, Mrs. Guntram left the store with Zack and Leon closed up shop a half hour later as he had said. When he told Aerith that they were going to see Axel, he watched the small girl's eyes come to life and look up at him questioningly. He smiled and told her to pick a new ribbon from one of the bins that she had frequently visited in his shop and pick out a new one to show her older brother when they went to the hospital. That was the first time Aerith smiled since the attack. It was small, but it was still a smile.

After catching a taxi and getting into a brief argument with the lady at the front desk of the hospital as to which patient named Axel that Leon was referring to because she couldn't seem to see the difference between the last names 'Daecher' and "Dahler," Leon and Aerith were heading up the stairs to the second floor of the hospital to seek out Axel's room, number 245. Aerith practically flew up the stairs, waiting impatiently for Leon to catch up to her and then tugged him around by his wrist to find Axel's room.

"Knock knock," Leon said as he stuck his head inside the door after opening it. Aerith wedged herself between the doorframe and Leon's leg and pushed past him to get into the room before him, eager to be reunited with her brother.

"Axel!" She whined as she ran to the bed where the injured redhead was sitting up in the pristinely white hospital bed, a bandaged arm already outstretched towards the child to give her a reassuring embrace. He was clothed in the standard hospital gown, his skin a little on the pale side, but aside from the bandages on his forearms and an IV hooked up into his left arm, he looked like he was doing okay.

"There's my Mausi," Axel smiled as he curled his arm gently around his little sister as she hugged him tightly and buried her face into his shoulder. He looked up past her small form as Leon walked in, hands in his pockets as he pushed the door back to close with his foot. Axel's smile turned into an amused sneer. "Ew, what are you doing here?"

"I'm that loser that's been going around the hospital making fun of the sick people. Looks like today's your lucky day."

"This whole week has just been lucky, hasn't it?" Axel said with bitter undertones, the hand that was draped around Aerith's form gently rubbing her back assuringly as she clung to him quietly, just reveling in the warmth of his presence that she had missed so much. Leon just shook his head as he approached the foot of the bed, Axel's chart sitting in a rod at the end of the bed catching his eye and picked it up, glancing over it.

_Daecher, Axel_

_Age: 21_

_Gender: Male_

_Illness and/or symptoms: Dog Bite, Shock primary with Class III Hemorrhage, Shock psychologic. Entered emergency room with Class III Hemorrhage and torn flesh wounds, patient conscious but unresponsive. Anesthesia and blood transfusion Type O Negative administered. Minor muscle damage to both arm flexor carpi radialis muscles and pronator teres muscles with significant skin tissue damage and puncture wounds. Significant skin tissue damage on right thigh…._

The description went on and on, and was full of sophisticated medical words that Leon couldn't understand.

"God damn, I could never be a doctor." Leon hissed as his eyes squinted as he tried to interpret what even half of the piece of paper said. "Would it kill them to just write down 'got attacked by some dogs, fixed him and then hopped him up on painkillers'?"

"Beats the heck out of me." Axel shrugged his shoulders. "But they aren't lying when they say they got strong painkillers. They told me they knocked me out as soon as I got here and I didn't wake up until yesterday. I don't think I've slept that well since…well, ever."

"I'm guessing you feel better then?"

"As good as I can feel in this situation. My leg hurts like hell, though. I can't walk on it without someone helping me out. My arms hurt some too, but not as much as where that fucker got my leg." Axel spat the curse out with disgust, not really caring if Aerith heard the word or not. Aerith had asked not too long ago if they could get a puppy one day. _Not. Happening. Ever_. "The pain meds make it bearable."

"That's good to hear." The brunette male said as he put the chart back over the rod on the end of the bed and walked over to the left side of the bed while Aerith was sitting on the right and sat down on the edge of the bed due to a lack of chairs in the small room. Axel was appreciative for that now. But the redhead's heart sank when he heard Aerith starting to sniffle into his shoulder.

"I was so scared…" Aerith whimpered softly.

"I know, I know," Axel wished that he could hug her a little tighter, but he new it wouldn't be good on his arms at the time. So he laid his head atop of hers and nuzzled her gently. "I'm so sorry that you had to see all of that… but I'm here now, I'm okay, everything's going to be all right."

"D-don't go away anymore…" She clung to him a little tighter as her sweet voice started to crack.

"I'll never leave you alone again Aerith, I promise." He vowed, shifting his head to kiss the top of her head. His heart was breaking into pieces seeing Aerith so scared and broken like this, so much that it almost brought tears to his own eyes. In a way, it was his fault that he had ended up this way, but Axel had plenty of time to think about that when he woke up the day before, and he knew that in that dangerous situation in the hallway, the victim was either going to be him or Aerith. He wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he hadn't pushed her out of the way in time and the dogs attacked her instead, because those dogs would have surely killed her. And his sole purpose in life was to protect her.

Aerith continued to sputter her fears and whimpers through choked tears and Axel kept reassuring her with his own kind words, feeling his eyes starting to sting as they grew glassy. He closed his hurting eyes as he shushed Aerith's cries softly, feeling like he was about to cry as well. It was then that he felt something slip into his left hand that had been lying at his side idly due to being hooked up to an IV. He opened his eyes and looked at his hand and saw that Leon had slipped his fingers into Axel's hand to overlap the injured man's long fingers, a very small and subtle gesture of an attempt to hold the redhead's hand but be able to recoil safely in the event that the door were to open to announce the entrance of a nurse or doctor. Aerith's face was nuzzled into Axel's shoulder, so she couldn't see it either. Axel looked up at Leon, who was giving him the smallest of smiles, and Axel could just feel the support from him radiating from Leon's fingers touching his, comforting him. Axel smiled as a tear started to form in the corner of his eye, and curled his fingers around Leon's firmly as his thumb grazed over the top of his knuckles. For such a consoling gesture, however tiny it may have been in a forbidden world, meant as much to Axel as a full on embrace. Where he was Aerith's strength and support, Leon was his.

Leon and Aerith visited frequently throughout Axel's stay at the hospital. Sometimes Leon was unable to go because he was working at his store, so there were times that Mrs. Guntram came with Aerith instead. Once the doctors saw that his stitches were doing their job, it was a matter of rehabilitation so Axel could start to properly walk again without a nurse's or Leon's assistance, depending on who was there at the time if he needed to go to the bathroom. It was painful for Axel to walk on his right leg at first, but that began to subside as his muscles started to become functional again. Axel made a conscientious effort to not look at the back of his leg yet, mostly because he didn't really want to look at the damage yet. But he had explored the area with a ginger hand, and he could immediately tell right away that he had a decent dent in the back of his leg and that the large amount of stitches meant that he would have a nasty looking scar that would probably make the back of his thigh look distorted.

After several weeks in the hospital, Axel was discharged. He would have to come back to get his stitches taken out, but other than that he would be fine. He still needed slight assistance to walk, having been given a set of crutches to help him move around, but he was instructed by the doctors to keep away from too much activity and stay rested until his wounds had completely healed so the stitches could come out. Unfortunately, this meant that he wouldn't be able to go to the food bank or clean Mrs. Guntram's apartment. Mrs. Guntram assured him that he didn't have to worry about her and even helped out by preparing her own home cooked meals for him and Aerith until he was well, her way of saying thank you for all that he had done for her in the past. She also told him that she would cover the medical bill as well, along with some assistance from Leon. Zack had been in good health for the past few months and had money to spare to help cover Axel's hospital expenses. Needless to say, Axel was not used to being waited on like this and have people helping him instead of the other way around. He knew he was blessed with wonderful people in his life.

Yet, despite all of it, Axel couldn't help but feel uneasy. Leon had done some digging after the incident with the Kauffmans and found out that Robert Freish was behind their arrest. Axel could recall the evil grin that he saw on Robert's face at some point during the Gestapo's raid of the apartment complex, and it made Axel's blood run cold every time he thought about it. If Robert was that cunning and deceptive, could there be a chance that Robert would try to do the same thing to Axel and Leon? Axel was sure that his and Leon's relationship was completely hidden and totally secret from the outside world. The only instance that they could have been caught was when Leon had carelessly kissed him in the hallway. Axel was fairly certain that no one was there when it happened, but his slight paranoia would always question it. He had kept that insecurity to himself before, but now that he knew of Robert's treason, he finally expressed his concern to Leon one afternoon while Zack and Aerith were in Mrs. Guntram's care.

"I swear you are the most paranoid person I have ever met in my life." Leon rolled his eyes as he tossed a bundle of Axel's old bandages into a waste bin in Axel's bedroom after helping the redhead dress them in newer clean ones. Axel didn't have any problems doing the ones on his arms himself, but he did need some help for the back of his right thigh.

"I'm not being paranoid." Axel frowned as he sat down on the bed and set the crutches against the wall beside his headboard. "I just don't want Gestapo coming after us. I didn't exactly have the best experience with them." Axel was giving Leon a stern look and trying to be serious, but the brunette didn't take much notice as he climbed into the bed behind Axel and curled his arms around the skinny man's waist. "Stop, I'm not joking about this, Leon." Axel said irritably as he tried to push Leon away.

"I know your not." Leon stated as he tightened his grip, making it pretty clear he wasn't going to let go. "But if it really bothers you that much, don't you think if someone saw us back then that they would have reported us by now? With as much cash the government is giving out, I doubt they would have let us get away with it for this long."

"Not if it was Robert." Axel grumbled under his breath. Leon sighed and rested his chin on Axel's shoulder and pecked the side of Axel's neck.

"We're going to be fine." Leon reassured him. "All we've got to do is just stay as careful as we have been. Unless there's someone hiding in your closet right now, I think we're pretty much safe."

"I don't know. " Axel didn't dare let Leon know that his eyes had drifted to the closet after the scarred man's statement for just a second. G_eez, maybe I am over thinking it._ "I've just got a bad feeling."

"What kind of bad feeling?" Leon finally just decided to give up on trying to butt heads with Axel's stubbornness and humor him. It didn't make things very easy when they argued since they were both equally headstrong.

"I can't really describe it, I just feel like something bad might happen soon if we let our guard down."

"Which we haven't." Leon reminded him. "And we won't."

"Okay, fine." Axel huffed, just giving up on the conversation entirely. "Now are you planning on letting go of me anytime soon or do you want something from me?"

"Why must you always assume I want something when I hug you?" Leon said with mock hurt.

"Because you do." Axel said with a smug grin as he looked over his shoulder at Leon.

"Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe I just missed having you around while you were at the hospital?"

"You just missed not being able to molest me in my sleep, fat ass."

"Why molest you in your sleep when I can do it when you're fully conscious?" Leon smirked as he slipped a hand under Axel's shirt to prove his point.

"I am not surprised at all that you would take advantage of an invalid."

"Like hell you're an invalid. And I'm not taking advantage of you, I just want to spend time with you, stupid."

"Like calling me stupid is really going to make me want to spend time with you."

"Hey, you called me a fat ass earlier. You aren't going to get away with that."

"Oh really?" Axel's brow perked, his tone challenging. He'd know that mischievous glint in those dull blue eyes anywhere. When Leon's lips met Axel's, it became clear to the redhead that Leon wasn't planning on leaving the apartment anytime soon, his worries backing off into the corners of his mind as he just tried to take comfort in Leon's presence.

* * *

***Week 7, Day 45, Saturday***

***Three Days Remaining***

If there was any possible way that a human being could become jealous of an electronic device, Roxas had found it. When Sora, Axel and he finally got on their plane on Thursday evening, Axel immediately took Roxas' iTouch hostage and refused to give it to him for a majority of the flight. He knew deep down that it was probably partially his fault, because he made the mistake of showing the Preta that liked to play the games on his iTouch as much as he did listening to the music the wonders of the Robot Unicorn Attack application while they were sitting in the waiting area of the Atlanta airport. Axel gave him an incredulous look when the application first opened up, questioning Roxas' perception of just how gay he thought the redhead really was. As Axel started to play the highly addicting side-scrolling unicorn action game, Roxas watched in amusement as Axel's skeptical and disgusted expression on his face turned into confusion, leading into denial as the unicorn jumped and dashed through the mystical-looking surroundings and Erasure's nauseating but highly addictive song 'Always' played through the one earbuds in Axel's right ear. By the time Axel had gone through all of his three 'wishes,' Roxas could have died laughing from the look of bitter acceptance of the fact that he was actually finding this game enjoyable on Axel's face.

"How can I possibly find something so flamboyant and gaudy so awesome?" Axel had asked with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"It isn't just you. It's put it's curse on all of society." Roxas answered, his voice sounding strained as he tried to contain the laughter that had rumbled in his throat. He'd come to regret doing that once they got on the plane, because he had accidentally made Axel thoroughly addicted to it, shamefully but still addicted. Roxas occasionally saw Axel thumbing through his music every once in a while, but most of the plane ride he spent playing Robot Unicorn Attack. Axel was just thankful there was something to preoccupy his mind from the nagging anxiety of being on an airplane. It didn't stop once they touched down in Pennsylvania, either. The rest of the day, Axel had that iTouch in his possession, sometimes still playing Robot Unicorn Attack, but he also sat there and seemed to be going through Roxas' music with sudden deep interest.

Even on Friday, Axel was playing around with Roxas' iTouch for a good bit of the day, which carried on to Saturday, though Roxas was too lazy and comfortable in the warmth of his own bed to try to see what it was Axel was doing. Roxas took that day as a day to catch up on all of the sleep he missed from being woken up so early while at Uncle Cid's, anyway, so it was uneventful for the most part. At least it was until he was aware that a third party suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the middle of his room.

"There you are!" The familiar voice that belonged to Demyx rang in Roxas' ears and shattered the silence, instantly making Roxas jerk out of his sleepy-like state and bolt upright in a sitting position on his bed. Even Axel was caught off guard, and looked like was about to jump off the bed and beat the crap out of the intruder until he saw it was Demyx.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking? !" Roxas snarled in his usual grumpy sleep voice when his slumber was disturbed.

"Since when do Pretas have to use human social graces?" Demyx shrugged it off like he had done nothing wrong.

"Normally I'd agree with you," Axel said bitterly as he closed down the iTouch and pulled the headphones out of his ears. "But I was about two seconds away from decapitating you when you popped up like that."

"This is the kind of greeting I get when I come to visit after a long time?" Demyx pouted, upset by their harsh and mostly unfriendly greetings. "Fine, I'm sorry for barging in if it bothers you guys so much. But I don't have a lot of time to stand around here and argue, I got to talk to Axel about something really important."

"I'm listening." Axel leaned back onto the headboard in the comfortable position he had been before Demyx's intrusion. Demyx frowned, sea green eyes looking from the human to the Preta with an unspoken uncomfortable feeling hanging around him.

"Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you privately for a few minutes." Demyx said to Axel with pleading eyes. "Just a few minutes, please?" Axel looked at Roxas to see if he had any objection. He thought Roxas might have been uncomfortable with Demyx talking to him privately after the trouble he had caused in the past that way. If he did, it was overshadowed by the blonde's grumpiness and fatigue as he just shook his head with a groan and flopped back onto the bed, burying his head into one of the multiple pillows piled around him and curled an arm around a smaller one in front of him.

"I don't care." he grumbled into their light blue fabric, muffled but still understandable.

"I'll be back in a bit then." Axel told him as he gave Roxas' shoulder a gentle squeeze before climbing off of the bed, the teen only grunting in reply. "Outside?" Axel said, an index finger gesturing up towards the ceiling. Demyx nodded his head with enthusiasm as he smiled before disappearing into a corridor, Axel quickly following suit.

Once they were up on the ceiling, Axel realized just how late in the day it really was. The sun was starting to make its descent from the sky, meaning that he and Roxas had literally spent almost an entire day being lazy bums in his bedroom. He would have been angry with himself for allowing precious hours to slip away meaninglessly, but he hadn't _completely _wasted them. It would all come together in the end.

"What's up?" Axel asked his old friend, his slight irritation of being startled having passed once they left the room.

"Axel, you won't believe it," Demyx smiled widely as he spoke, excitement dancing in his eyes as he reached out and grabbed Axel's shoulders, making the redhead feel uneasy. He seemed so nervous in Roxas' room, and now he was smiling like an idiot. Perhaps he still wasn't too fond of his and Roxas' relationship when he saw the two of them sitting in the bed together. "But I came here to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?" Axel's brows furrowed. "What, you heading off to another state?" Demyx shook his head with zeal, his smile only getting wider. "City?" Again, the dirty blonde shook his head again. "Well then what the heck do you mean goodbye for-"

"I'm finished." Demyx stated.

"Finished with what?"

"My sentence!" He exclaimed with glee, throwing his hands in the air before pumping his fists. "It's over, man! After almost four hundred years, it's finally over! I'm free!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on a minute Demyx." Axel's eyes grew wide as he tried to calm down his excited friend, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Are you sure it's over or are you just getting ahead of yourself? That really isn't something you should joke about."

"No, I know I'm finished, for real!"

"How do you know?" Axel knew that once a Preta's sentence was completed, their soul would leave the earthly plane and return to the afterlife to be allowed to be reborn, but he didn't know the technicalities of such a ritual. What happened when they were finally finished with their torturous starvation? Did something tell them, or would they just know? Would they fall over and die, or would they fade away? Demyx's eyes started to become glassy as he spoke again.

"I'm not hungry." He said, usually a casual sentence spoken by humans with indifference, he said with so much joy that his sea green eyes were tearing up as he grabbed Axel's shoulders again. "I'm not hungry, Axel! Do you remember how that feels? We're always starving, always hurting, but I don't feel any pain anymore! My starving soul has come to peace and I've never felt so great in my entire life. I forgot how wonderful having a full stomach felt. It's like when humans get a brand new car for their birthdays, only five times better!" As Demyx rambled on and on about how amazing he felt, tears of joy started rolling down his cheeks. But Axel didn't condescend him, because if it was true, he had every right to cry like that, especially since he has been a Preta for so long.

"Really?" Axel's voice had become quiet, curious and longing. That is how he would know? This horrible pain would finally come to an end? Granted, Axel had a much higher pain tolerance when it came to starvation, mostly because he had become familiar with starvation's torture when he was in the concentration camp while he was human and was able to deal with it a little easier than most other Pretas, but that didn't mean that there weren't times that Axel was doubled over in pain, and even fewer instances where he almost cried because of it's intensity. They just didn't happen often. He actually hadn't had one in a while, thanks to Roxas' very meager but constant flow of fodder of his hair. It wasn't enough to fulfill his stomach's lust, but it was enough to take the edge off. But the dull pain was always there.

"Yeah." Demyx's voice also became softer, tears still falling from the corners of his eyes. "It's amazing, Axel. It's amazing." He repeated it several times as he released his grip on Axel's shoulders and wiped his face with his gloved black hand.

"So I guess this means you'll be leaving soon."

"Yeah. It happened on Thursday and I came here to say goodbye then, but you weren't here. I was starting to worry I wouldn't be able to see you before I left."

"Well," A small smile bubbled onto Axel's lips as he looked at his overjoyed and long time friend, something he had only rarely done on Demyx's behalf. "Congratulations. I'm really happy for you. I always had a feeling you'd go before I did."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a complete spaz and you can be annoying sometimes, but in all the time I've known you, you've done nothing but try to help me out. Spare the whole Roxas thing," He added, though he didn't dwell on the topic. "But other than that, I can honestly say I wouldn't be where I am today without you. I'd probably still be running around here with a god awful broken German accent without you. You definitely got all the good karma you needed."

Demyx laughed at Axel's explanation, a couple of tears spilling out of his eyes again as he did so.

"Thanks, Axel. That really means a lot coming from you." Axel only shrugged.

"I just feel sorry for the poor souls that end up having you as their son in your next life." Axel's dry sarcastic humor would usually get a rise out of the mullet head, but Demyx only laughed harder, more tears being shed.

"I'm way too happy right now to be upset with you for saying that. You've got a weird sense of humor, you know that?" Demyx said amidst his laughter.

"And you're just weird period." Axel chuckled. "So… do you know when you're going to be leaving?"

"Do you remember how you felt when you died in your past life?" Demyx asked. "That feeling of just letting go of your life and you suddenly got lighter, almost like you were floating?"

"Um…" Axel ran his fingers through his spiky hair. "I guess."

"I feel like that right now. It started not too long after I felt full, but I really wanted to say goodbye to you before I finally just let it take me. I don't know if I could've waited another day though, it really takes a lot out of a person. Kinda like the saying 'holding your last breath.'"

"What are you waiting for then?" Axel smiled as he punched Demyx's shoulder playfully. "You didn't have to do that, you know. It's your life, go ahead and start living it again."

"Yeah, but…" Demyx rubbed the shoulder that Axel had punched as he looked down towards the tiled roof beneath their feet, sounding a little quieter. "I guess I've never said it before, but since I've known you, you've been a really good friend to me, the only one I've really had during this life. I felt like I owed it to you."

"You've lived for almost half a century, Dem. I bet you've had at least another friend or two you made that you were closer to than me."

"Not really. They all eventually finished their sentences and left me without telling me. It made me feel terrible. I didn't want to do that to you."

"I'm glad I was able to be a friend to you until the end." Axel's words made Demyx look back up at him, a peaceful smile on his lips and his eyes soft and kind, though they still threatened to spill tears once again.

"You're a really good person, Axel. I hope your sentence will be a lot shorter than mine – no, I bet it's shorter than mine. There needs to be more people like you out in the world."

"Thanks, Dem." With that, Axel extended his hand outward to the blonde Preta for a handshake. "Well, I wish you the best of luck in the next life." Demyx looked down at Axel's hand, not making any movement to return the gesture at first. He stared at that hand, his expression unreadable to Axel. It was as if the act of giving Axel a handshake would seal his fate and make his dream of his spirit moving on a reality. Even though the natural death of a Preta caused by an ended sentence and not by violence from another Preta was not painful or traumatizing like a human's death because of the ignorance of the beyond, it was still death. Slowly, Demyx reached out and returned the gesture, the two sharing a firm handshake.

"I wish you good luck too, Axel, in everything you do." Demyx responded quietly. "And I know I haven't been very supportive of you and Roxas…but if he truly makes you that happy that you would challenge the balance of life itself, then I've got your back." Axel could only respond with a nod of approval. Demyx didn't know about the danger that was looming over Axel's head, just waiting to strike him down in a matter of days. But he figured that this wasn't the time to put a damper on a dying Preta's words of encouragement.

"Um…Axel?" Demyx said as they both pulled away from the handshake. Axel wondered if he had really seen it or if it was just a trick of his own eye, but it had appeared for a split second that Demyx's figure became translucent.

"Yeah?"

"…I know I sound like a coward asking this," Demyx rolled his eyes a little as he hugged his arms close to his chest. "But… will you stay with me until I pass on completely? I don't want to die alone…"

"You aren't dying, Demyx." Axel spoke firmly, his full name instead of the usual nickname, catching Demyx's attention. "You're moving on. There's no such thing as death for our souls, we know that. Yeah, you won't be the same blonde mullet-headed ditz named Demyx afterwards, but your soul is going to become something better. Your soul won't die. But yeah, I'll stay here."

"Thanks…" Demyx smiled weakly, and that's when Axel knew that what he thought was just a trick of his mind was actually happening; Demyx's body became pellucid, the opacity of his form fading in and out like the light of a candle flame. Axel watched as Demyx squeezed his eyes shut, two tears following the same course that multiple tears before them fell down his face, looking unsure of himself as his body went through this strange ordeal.

"What's wrong?" Axel asked, seeing as it looked like Demyx was resisting what was inevitable.

"I…I guess I'm just a little scared." Demyx whimpered, his voice fading in and out in volume as his body flickered in an out of transparency.

"Everything you've done for all these years has lead up to this moment." Axel was trying to encourage him. "There's something that my grandfather used to tell me when I was little. It's an old German saying, but it said 'The greatest step is out the door.' You've made it through a lot of ordeals to get here, but being able to accept this and pass on is all that ever mattered. Don't be afraid to let go. It's what you've worked for."

Suddenly, Demyx's breath hitched and his eyes shot open, his jaw dropping slightly as a peculiar blue mist spilled from his mouth. Demyx looked scared, his arms uncurling from his chest, muscles tense and took a shaky step backwards as the instinctive fear of the end fell upon him, and then Axel watched as that fear was quickly replaced with a calm peace that passed over Demyx's expression, the corners of his opened mouth perking upwards slightly as he closed his eyes, his head lifting high to the sky and relaxed as he welcomed the embrace of the promise of a new life in the light.

"_See ya later buddy_!" Demyx's voice rang happily in Axel's ears as the mist started drifting upwards towards the sky, the transparent shell of his damned Preta body fading away completely, the person named Demyx that had previously been apart of this world falling from existence. Axel watched with wonder and reverence as the mist that was Demyx's soul drifted higher, higher, until it dissipated and disappeared from Axel's sight. It was time for Demyx's test at the Wheel of Life.

"See ya." Axel replied somberly, feeling an odd mixture of solemn sadness, joy, and slight pain that hung in his chest as he bid farewell to a trusted old friend that was on his way to a better place, a better life, that Axel knew without a doubt that Demyx deserved. He would never say it aloud, but he knew that he was going to have that crazy airhead around.

* * *

_**A/N: I love Demyx to pieces. I really do, he's my favorite. Me is happy that he gets happy ending.**_

_**I'm probably going to do an Axel/Leon lemon that takes place in this story but is separate from SHBF in oneshot form, mostly because the idea is going om nom nom on my brain but it doesn't have much relevance to the story's plot. Just in case any of you guys are interested.**_


	32. Meine Schönheit, My Beauty

_**A/N: The moment you've all been waiting for... and dreading.**_

_**Rated M for a reason, folks! Chapter's NSFW :P**_

_**Enjoy. :3 **_

* * *

***Week 7, Day 47, Monday***

***One Day Remaining***

Axel could hardly believe how time had flown by so quickly. It seemed like yesterday he had only just met Roxas, and now he was down to the last day until Xemnas was going to come for him and try to make him join the Organization, whether he wanted to or not. If Xemnas was a Preta, Axel would have been confident that he could take him on with no problem; but Xemnas was an Asura, and he had never fought a spritual entity of that kind before. Based on what Xion had told him, he had a pretty good idea was what was probably going to happen. Xemnas was probably going to unleash several of his Preta minions on him at once on Earth and somehow push him towards the World In Between so Xemnas could get to him personally, since Asuras do not have the ability to walk among mortals. If that was the case, Axel was going to have to go so far as to kill all the other Pretas before they could get him there. Not that killing would bother him or anything. Probably.

The Preta had finished fooling around with Roxas' iTouch around Sunday evening and was acting like his old self again, following Roxas to school and pulling the blonde into his lap at his desk. To Roxas, Axel seemed a little more affectionate than usual, nuzzling into the back of his neck and stealing a kiss whenever he could in between classes. As long as Axel didn't try to pull that necking stunt he had pulled before in class that made Roxas resort to fleeing to the restroom, he didn't complain. Axel _had_ been paying less attention to him since they had gotten home, after all, though the redhead wouldn't tell him why. He was just going to enjoy the extra attention.

"Hey, have any of you guys seen Xion today at all?" Kairi asked at lunchtime, while they were all under the shade of the tree of their usual spot.

"Yeah, she wasn't in Spanish class today." Olette added with a questioning tone. Roxas' brow scrunched together as he recalled that he hadn't seen Xion in any of his classes that day either. It was strange, because Xion had not missed school at all since she arrived.

"Didn't she go with you guys to New York or whatever for Spring Break?" Hayner asked.

"No, actually." Kairi poked at her salad in a Tupperware container with her black plastic fork, a frown on her face. "We haven't heard from her at all since the day she said she wasn't coming to the pharmacy after school before the break."

"Do you think something might have happened to her?" Olette sounded very worried for Xion's well being.

"You're such a worry wart Olette. I bet she's just sick or something." Hayner shrugged.

"Why don't you just text her?" Pence jumped into the conversation.

"She doesn't have a cell phone." Kairi sighed. "And I don't think she's ever given us her home phone number."

"That is kind of strange…"

"What about you, Roxas? Have you heard from Xion?" Kairi turned her attention to the quiet blonde sitting with his sandwich. Unbeknownst to Kairi or any of Roxas' friends, there just so happened to be a redheaded demon that sat quietly with Roxas in his lap, metaphorically twiddling his thumbs as he admired the blooming leaves on the tree branches overhead.

"Why are you asking me? She hasn't been to any of my classes either." Roxas said.

"But she totally had the hots for you, she would have at least said something to you." Kairi giggled.

"Not true." Roxas grumbled.

"Oh come on! Remember when we were all talking about your girlfriend and she got all defensive?"

"Whoa, wait, Roxas has a girlfriend?" Hayner's eyes lit up.

"Yeah, way to keep us out of the loop Roxas!" Pence pouted.

"Yes, I'd love to hear more about this girlfriend of yours." Axel purred in his ear. The glare Roxas shot over his shoulder just made the Preta laugh instead of cower in fear of its awesome might, which was Roxas' hopeful intention of the glare. He would just have to come to terms with the fact that he was not intimidating at all to Axel. It didn't help that much that Roxas' cheeks were starting to turn pink with all of this talk about his 'girlfriend' while having said 'girlfriend' present. This wasn't going to fun.

"He won't tell anyone who it is, either." Kairi giggled.

"That is unacceptable!" Hayner exclaimed as he pointed his spork at Roxas accusingly. "You better tell us who this chick is, man! You just don't keep those kind of things to yourself!"

"It's not that big of a deal you guys," Roxas said as he looked down at the ground, nervous that everyone was looking at him, including Axel, though he was still laughing.

"It is so! Roxas is getting action and leaving us out of it!"

"What? ! No!" Roxas' face only became redder with such an accusation. "We haven't!"

"You lie! Look at your face!"

"Has it occurred to you that my sex life isn't anyone else's business? !"

"If you say you have a sex life that isn't any of our business, that means you _do_ have one, and therefore have had sex." Hayner's eyebrows wiggled suggestively as he explained his logic.

"No! I was just stating a fact! If I did have one, it wouldn't be anyone else's business!"

"Okay, answer this then," Pence interjected. "Do you _want_ to have sex with her?"

"Can we not talk about this while we are eating lunch?" Kairi's tone had suddenly turned sour. Olette agreed with a shy nod.

"Hush, we're having guy talk right now, if you don't like it, that's your problem." Hayner hissed at the auburn-haired girl beside her. Kairi's jaw dropped as she looked at him incredulously.

"Come on Olette, I don't want to hear this crap." Kairi motioned for the quiet girl to follow her, and the two of them left to find another place to sit and eat while the boys had their nasty conversation.

"Now where were we," Hayner said after watching the girls leave. "Oh, yeah, do you want to do her or not?"

"I really don't want to talk about this." Roxas felt like he could die of embarrassment. It was one thing talking about his and Axel's relationship when the Preta wasn't there. But this time, Roxas was unfortunately sitting in said Preta's lap, and he was getting a kick out of all of this. So much that the redhead' forehead was resting on the back of Roxas' shoulder while he tried to contain his snickers.

"Come on, you can't leave us hanging like this!"

"At least tell us what she looks like!" Pence said, and Roxas groaned as he held his head in his hands.

"Will it get you guys to shut up?" He asked.

"For now." Hayner replied devilishly.

"Okay, fine," Roxas finally relented, taking a moment to choose his words carefully.

"This is going to be hilarious." Axel snickered, knowing that Roxas was going to have to describe him as a girl, poking Roxas in the stomach. "I better be hot, too."

_You are not helping!_ Roxas wanted to growl at him, but he couldn't at the moment. He had to make sure he didn't describe Axel with masculine features, which wasn't going to be easy while he was under pressure like this.

"Well, she's tall," Roxas began, rubbing the back of his neck to try to calm his frazzled nerves and to try to shake off the feeling of Axel's breath on the back of it that seemed really warm all of a sudden. "A little taller than me, actually-"

"Really?" Hayner's brow scrunched up disapprovingly. "I never like it when the chick is taller than the guy. Doesn't make sense to me."

"Shut up Hayner, this is Roxas' girlfriend, not yours." Pence corrected him.

"I'm just saying!"

"Can I finish?" Roxas said blandly. He wanted to get this out of the way.

"Yeah man, continue."

"Uh…she's got long red hair. Not like Kairi's though, it's a lot redder and brighter."

"Do you know if it's natural?" Hayner sniggered.

"You're damn right it's natural!" Axel cut in with a frown, but it's not like Hayner could hear him at all.

"I dunno yet." Roxas said, despite the fact he could vouch that it was indeed natural. But it wasn't something that would help his situation at all. "But anyway, she has really pretty green eyes-"

"Yeah yeah, eyes are great and all," Hayner cut in once again as he rolled his eyes. "but what about her body, Roxas? That's the good stuff."

"Will you stop interrupting me? !" Roxas growled in frustration. "I was getting to that!"

"Fine, whatever." Hayner relented, but Roxas took a few more moments of silence before he continued.

"She's skinny, I guess because she's so tall and all, and...uh…"

"Is she a boob chick or an ass chick?"

"Huh?"

"Come on Roxas, we all know girls fall into three catagories," Hayner said, holding up his hand to start counting out the three categories he spoke of. "Nice boobs, nice ass, or both. The last one's really hard to find, but they're awesome if you do."

"I am seriously questioning your morals when it comes to dating." Roxas said flatly.

"Same here." Pence said with equal unamusement.

"What? !" Hayner shot back defensively. "I like hot chicks! Everyone's got their own standards."

"Then stop patronizing mine." Roxas growled.

"Don't get your panties in a wad. I've got standards, too. I like girls for personality, character, whatever, but it doesn't hurt if they're attractive too."

"Fine, she's got nice hips." Roxas was making reference to Axel's almost feminine-like hips, since he really didn't have much of a 'chest' or 'ass' to go on. He was a guy. To say Axel had nice 'man boobs' or a 'thick ass' just didn't sit well with Roxas, even if he was already stretching the truth.

"So her boobs aren't that big?"

"Um, no."

"Well that's no fun." Hayner pouted.

"You know what, I didn't ask you."

"Whoa, attitude much?"

"You asked me to tell you what she looked like, and I did. She's tall, she's got bright red hair, she's skinny and she has a nice butt. If you don't like that, I honestly don't care, because she's my girlfriend, not yours." Roxas' defensiveness seemed to catch everyone present by surprise, even Axel. "And hell, she's got tattoos too, are you going to tell me that having tattoos makes her trash? Because I don't care. I like them. I like _her_, not just for her looks, but I like her personality. I like how she's there for me when I need somebody, I like how she makes me laugh, I like how she can annoy the ever loving shit out of me but I can't stay mad at her for it. And if you say anything bad about any of it then I'm going to make you regret it."

"…Wow." Pence said after a few moments of silence with wide eyes. "I didn't know you could be that aggressive, Rox."

"He finally grew some balls." Hayner also stated, looking equally as surprised. "About time. And here I thought you were just a quiet punk from the South."

"Um…sorry?" Roxas wasn't really sure how to respond to something like that.

"Nah. I didn't know you had it in you. You've got my respect," Hayner emphasized this by pounding on his chest with his fist. "Sorry for crossing the line, man. I do want to see this girlfriend of yours, though. See if she's really worth you tearing my head off like that."

"…Oh." It only just began to sink in Roxas' mind what he had just done. He had totally just ripped into Hayner, someone Roxas had always thought wouldn't take shit from him. Hayner always had the air of an alpha dog, and he always wondered what would happen if someone challenged that. Now that it had actually happened, Roxas thought that if it was anyone else but him that wasn't in their circle of friends, Hayner wouldn't have taken it so lightly.

The topic of conversation for the rest of the lunch period was something more along the line of video games, but Roxas knew that Axel had heard every word of what had happened and was happy that he had stood up for not him, but for himself. Roxas was able to stand his own ground and defend himself without Axel's help. Sure, it wasn't the same as Roxas taking on a dangerous Preta or Heartless by himself, but it was definitely just as important for him to take on life's peer pressure. He knew because for the rest of the lunch period, Axel held him tightly in his arms and showered the back of his shoulder and the top of his head with soft kisses, and whispered 'I'm proud of you' into his ear, something that Roxas didn't hear very often from anyone else. Just hearing Axel say that gave him a self-confidence boost that he had needed for a long time.

* * *

***Monday Evening***

"Axel, can you please stop tapping the floor like that while I'm doing homework?" Roxas asked the impatient Preta sitting on the floor kindly, referring to how Axel's short fingernails were drumming on the hardwood floor of his bedroom, having taken his gloves off to try to occupy himself with Roxas' iTouch while the teen was doing his homework, but it wasn't helping. Axel knew there was a chance that this was his last night with Roxas. And instead of spending those precious moments with Roxas in his arms, the blonde was doing homework. Freaking _homework_. Why now, at a time like this?

"You've been doing that stupid homework since we went to the rec center after school." Axel protested. "Surely you can just set it aside for just a minute?"

"I thought you were over this whole 'bothering me while I'm doing homework' thing," Roxas sighed.

"Homework is evil. It's sole mission is to keep you away from me."

"If that's true, you aren't doing a very good job of saving this damsel in distress."

"That's because the damsel won't let me sweep him off his feet and save him from the beast to ride away into the sunset."

"Because it's going to make me fail my classes if I don't finish it."

"Then hurry up and finish it!" Axel groaned irritably as he lay back on the floor, knitting his fingers together over his eyes and shielding the light from the ceiling fan above from his eyes and exhaled loudly through his nose.

"I'll be done soon if you stop bugging me." Roxas sounded just as irritated as he moved on to his last assignment, which was to study over a handout that Mr. Ansem had given out in his history class. Ten minutes of quiet studying passed by, and Axel was growing more and more impatient by the minute. He thought about just taking his homework and burning it, but remembered how doing that had ended the first time he had done it and decided against it. All he could really do was wait. Defeated, Axel turned over onto his stomach on the floor, resting his chin on folded arms as he stared at the hardwood. He'd much rather be on the bed right now, but Roxas liked to spread everything out on the bed when he did his homework, which didn't leave much room for him to lounge around on it. It seemed so long ago when he first started out toughing it out on the floor before Roxas started trusting him enough to allow him the luxury of not only sleeping in a bed, but also sleeping in a bed _with him. _And what a luxury it was…

"Ugh! This is so stupid!" Roxas finally groaned loudly, rupturing the silence and making Axel lift up his head to see a very frustrated blond tugging at his hair.

"What?"

"We started a new chapter on World War II today in my American History class, and for some ungodly reason Mr. Ansem thinks that it's completely relevant for us to know the names of all of the states in Germany and I have no idea how to even say them, let alone learn them." Roxas' was relieving his pent up frustration by wildly tapping the eraser of his mechanical pencil on his paper. "Personally I think it's kind of stupid to make us learn the German states if we're in an American History class. World Studies, maybe, but not in a class that focuses on America."

"Maybe it'll be a bonus question or extra credit on the test?" Axel offered.

"Maybe. But I have no idea how to say half of these state's names."

"Is that all that's bothering you?"

"Yeah, I don't know how I'm supposed to remember them if I don't even know how to say them. They're all in that German-jibberish."

"You're in luck then," Axel chuckled as he rose to his knees and stood up, wiping down the front of his coat free of small debris that were clinging to the leather surface. "Because I just so happen to speak that German-jibberish."

"You're going to help me?" Roxas asked, a little surprised that Axel was giving him such an offer.

"Sure, if it means you'll get done faster." Axel went over to the bed, completely ignoring the glare he was getting from Roxas as he unceremoniously pushed the Chemistry book and binder onto the floor to make room for him to sit beside the blonde, moving up close so that they were sitting close together with Roxas' shoulder against Axel's chest, the Preta using his left arm to support is weight behind Roxas. He leaned over to kiss Roxas' cheek as he snatched up the single-page handout out of his hand. Upon inspecting it, Axel saw that it was a very basic map Germany on it, with the outlines of each states drawn out and their names printed in their rightful places, along with several important cities. It had been a long while since Axel had looked at a map of his home country.

"First, what the heck is this thing?" Roxas pointed towards the "ü" character that was in several of the state's names, the letter 'u' with two dots over the top.

"The dots are called an umlaut."

"What does it do?"

"They just put extra stress on a vowel. If it's sitting over a 'u,' it makes it sound like 'oo,' like in the word 'rue.'"

"Can you say one of them as an example?"

"Fine. So this one here," he pointed towards a state in the lower left-hand corner. "is Baden-Württemberg. Can you hear the 'oo' I told you about?"

"Bad-en-Werr-tem-berg.." Roxas tried to sound it out himself.

"Not 'Werr.'" Axel corrected him. "Woor. It makes a double u sound. Try again."

Roxas and Axel sat there for twenty minutes, going through the names of the German states that Roxas had marked with stars, indicating that he needed assistance in learning how to say them correctly. More than half of them were starred, so it was a process of trial-and-error until Roxas was able to say them correctly. There was a noticeable difference in the way that he said the names than how Axel said them, and Roxas was aware of that. Whenever Roxas said one of the more complicated names, it was a slow and awkward pronunciation, while the names would roll off of Axel's tongue so fluidly and accurately, and Roxas could hear that native German in Axel's words that he wouldn't normally hear when Axel was speaking English. As the time passed by, Roxas noticed that he had never heard Axel speak German at all since he had known him. The curiosity of wanting to hear Axel speak in a foreign tongue prodded at Roxas' mind throughout their whole study session. It also struck him odd that Axel was being so patient with him. He had been bugging Roxas for several hours to pay attention to him, but now he was taking his time, helping Roxas work through the German slur until he understood and could say them as easily as a native English speaker could say them. Not perfect, but still accurate. Even if it was odd, Roxas was still appreciative of how Axel could be so patient with him at times when he really needed to be, even how he had to be patient with their relationship. Axel really was kind to him, underneath it all. A pain in the ass sometimes. But also a blessing.

"Okay, I think you've got it." Axel smiled as he laid the handout onto the bed and curled his arms around Roxas' shoulders and laid his face into spiky blonde locks. "You did really good for your first attempt."

"Hey Axel," Roxas looked up, making Axel move his head back so he could look down at his blue-eyed prey, who had that cute bashful look on his face he always had when he was about to ask something he felt a little embarrassed about asking.

"Yes?"

"I've never really heard someone speak German before…" Roxas said, his fingers flicking the metal zipper of Axel's coat idly. "I know it sounds kind of stupid, but could you say something in German?"

"That's probably the oddest question you've ever asked me."

"I just want to know what you sound like is all." Roxas frowned as he heard Axel start chuckling softly, his face turning pink with embarrassment as he leaned away from Axel's embrace. "You don't have to laugh at me, you know…"

"_Nein, du bist bloß so niedlich._" Axel continued to chuckle as he tugged on Roxas a little harder, pulling back against his chest as he fulfilled his request. "_Du überrascht mich immer weilder._"

"…You sound different." Roxas said as he laid his head on Axel's chest.

"What did you expect? German isn't exactly the sexiest language in the world." Axel replied. He didn't expect Roxas to like it very much.

"No, like…" Roxas bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to come up with a way to describe how it sounded to him. "It makes you sound smart. You say it really fast."

"That's because it's my native language. I know it like the back of my hand."

"I kind of like it."

"Really?" Axel sounded surprised.

"It sounds kind of cool. But honestly, all foreign languages sound cool." Roxas shrugged a little. "Why, did you think I wouldn't?"

"Kind of." Axel admitted as he shifted around in his spot, papers sliding and crinkling under his feet but paid no mind to them as he moved so he had Roxas sitting in between his legs, his arms moving downward to coil around the teen's waist. "A lot of people don't like the way German sounds."

"Why?" Roxas moved to adjust to this new position as well, sitting sideways between Axel's open legs with his own legs lying over Axel's left thigh to get more comfortable.

"I've heard people say it sounds obnoxious because it sounds like someone's gargling marbles in their mouth. I can understand that because it is a heavy language, but it really depends on who's speaking it." Axel's scarlet brows furrowed as he frowned. "Most of the Americans I've heard say bad things about it are those who have only heard it from old tapes of Hitler's speeches on television or documentaries. No offense," Axel included, but Roxas only gave a nod. Roxas was not that full of himself to say that there was no such thing as an ignorant American. "Hitler is a very bad example of actual German speech. His accent was very harsh and thick, and sometimes difficult for even native Germans to understand. Not all Germans talk that way." He then pointed to himself. "For me, I've been around in America so much and lost my thick German accent, so when I speak it now it sounds softer than someone fresh out of Germany."

"You didn't sound that harsh to me. It's no French or Italian, but it's not bad."

"If only I knew French," Axel rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "I could make you swoon with sexy French words of love."

"How cheesy." Roxas laid his head back on Axel's chest. "What did you say, anyway?"

"What's it to you?"

"I want to know what you said," Roxas pouted. "For all I know you probably said something mean."

"I didn't." Axel assured him, cupping Roxas' chin and lifting it up so he could plant a kiss on those pouting lips. "I couldn't say anything like that about you."

"Then what did you say?" Roxas asked, his voice a little quieter from Axel's kiss. Axel smiled and kissed him again, this one lasting a little longer than the first. When they parted, Axel kissed the tip of Roxas' nose sweetly.

"I said that you were very cute." Axel explained, the hand on his chin reaching up to brush at Roxas' bangs that hung slightly over his blue eyes. "And that you always surprise me."

"What do you mean?" One of Roxas' arms curled around Axel's skinny waist as the other slid up his chest, it's destination the back of Axel's neck.

"You just always find ways to amaze me. Like when you agreed to be my friend, when you let me keep kissing you after I stole three of them from you, the way you stood up for yourself today," The Preta's naked palm came to Roxas' face again, this time cupping the side of his face with a soft touch, his thumb stroking the flesh of Roxas' slightly blushing cheek. "And how you can see what I am and everything I represent and still be so sweet and kind to me. It's much more than a Preta deserves, really."

"You might be a Preta," Roxas said, leaning into Axel's hand on his cheek, feeling his heart start to flutter in his chest as he looked into Axel's waiting eyes. "But I don't mind it. I want to be with you because you make me happy, whether you're human or not doesn't matter to me."

"Roxas…" Axel almost choked on his words, words that wanted to be said that seemed appropriate for the moment, but Axel knew that saying them here, saying them now, would only make it even harder for the both of them if they had to say goodbye. Three words, words that had not crossed Axel's mind at all until that moment, and he wished he could be able to say them and fully appreciate their value – he had never said 'I love you' to anyone he had shared this sort of bond with before. Did he really mean them? Did he really love Roxas? He didn't want to take the time to try to figure that out now. Instead, he replied with a soft "_Du bist schön," _ sealing his lips over Roxas' in a deep, loving kiss.

Roxas didn't know what Axel said, but it sounded like the sweetest of utterances in his ear when Axel's lips touched his, and didn't bother trying to ask what it meant because it was evident that Axel was speaking it through his actions. As loving lips parted and tongues grazed one another, Roxas was gone. He pulled away, just for a moment, Axel's hand falling away from his face as the blonde sat up on his knees in front of the Preta. He could feel Axel watching his every move with those bright green eyes that always shined with a green flame; a flame that Roxas loved to stare at. Even now as he became settled in his new sitting position, he couldn't look away from them, feeling them draw him in closer, wanting him to be _closer_. He couldn't deny them, his hands rising to frame Axel's face in his hands as they kissed again. Axel's arms encircled him in two different places, one around his waist and other's palm embedding those long fingers into Roxas' golden tawny locks and gently holding his head in place as his tongue beckoned for Roxas' company.

_How did I end up finding someone so perfect so late?_ Axel wanted to relish this, he wanted to make this last as long as possible, he just wanted Roxas to be close to him. He didn't want to let go, for fear that if he did, Roxas would fade away just like everything that he had cherished before him. He wished that he had the ability to stop time, to keep the sun from rising and stay this way with Roxas for the rest of his days. He couldn't find any words that could express how thankful he was for Roxas coming into his life, no matter how brief it had been. But perhaps, he could show him. If Roxas would allow, he would show him. Tonight could be the last one, the final melody, and Axel had to make it count. If he couldn't be here for Roxas in person, he wanted to live on in Roxas' memory.

When they finally pulled away, the message was clear - get all of the crap off of the bed as soon as physically possible. The normally nit-picky Roxas didn't hesitate to turn and start shoveling his papers and binders off of the bed to litter the hardwood floor below, with Axel shoving off the cumbersome backpack onto the floor with a loud thud, but paid no attention to it at all as he pushed Roxas forward to lay back onto the bed right as Roxas was in the middle of pushing the last bit of paper and textbooks onto the floor and entrapped the blonde beneath him, trailing soft kisses down is jaw line that were nothing but tender and loving, fingers trailing down the side of Roxas' face and down the side of his neck. It was a touch unlike any other, the same cherishing caress that Roxas had felt only once before when he and Axel had their first sexual experience in the Cabin, but it spoke on a more personal and emotional level than physical. It left a trail of that soft heat, that hypnotizing heat that had invaded Roxas' senses and left his mind clouded, his nerves buzzing and brought him such comfort and pleasure at the same time. Recognizing that sensation made Roxas gasp, his hands quivering from anticipation as he ran his hands down Axel's chest, fingers numbly searching for the zipper of his coat.

Axel lay his face into the crook of Roxas' neck, his blonde prey tilting his head to the side readily and willing as those soft kisses continued, occasionally stopping to nip and suckle upon the tender flesh of his neck to further excite him. The Preta could feel Roxas' quickened pulse under his tongue, his teeth closing around the spot and sucking deeply, giving his own soft groan as he heard Roxas' in his ear. The attention didn't last very long once he heard the sound of a zipper coming undone, and became aware that Roxas was already working off his coat. He smiled at Roxas' eagerness and sat up, pulling the rest of the zipper down as far as he could and then pulled his arms out of the sleeves, lifting the entire mess of leather over his head and throwing it to the floor. Instead of going right back to Roxas' neck, Roxas watched as Axel scooted down a few inches and leaned down, his hands gripping Roxas' shirt and started pulling it upwards, his lips trailing behind the receding fabric starting just under Roxas' navel, going up, up, Axel's warm breath caressing his skin between each kiss and making the teen shiver and making his breath hitch, his only source of heat coming from Axel's closeness. Once he made it to Roxas' chest, he let his tongue slip past his lips and toyed with one of his nipples, massaging and nibbling on the nub as he felt Roxas' back arch beneath him, hissing in breath to contain a noise of pleasure.

"Are your parents home?" Axel lifted up his head to look at a flustered Roxas, who barely registered the question as the redhead started to tease the opposite nipple with his thumb.

"Ahh…um…I think so," Roxas tried to piece the words together into a sentence. Axel seemed to take amusement in Roxas' slurred speech, having looked back down for just a moment to drag his tongue across the nipple he had been toying with before as Roxas tried to finish what he was saying. "Haaa-ah!...They're d-downstairs though…"

"And Sora?" Another slow lick. Roxas trembled as he bit his lip.

"In his room… ugh, can you stop doing that when I'm ta-aaah!" Roxas' eyes grew wide as Axel bit the teased nipple, letting his tongue flicker over the sensitive skin. Axel chuckled as he released the nipple, kissing it lightly and looking at Roxas with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist." The redhead chuckled softly. Roxas pouted, sticking out his lower lip just a little and averted Axel's gaze. Axel almost melted right there at the sheer cuteness staring him in the face. "If you're trying to make me feel guilty, it's not working." Axel kept his eyes on Roxas as his lips continued their journey, stopping just where he had the fabric of Roxas' shirt gathered under his chin, then kissed Roxas' chin before finally kissing his pouting lips. Roxas found it difficult to maintain his composure with Axel's warm lips presenting a very convincing argument and gave in moments later. Once Axel knew he had been forgiven, he pulled away and finished lifting Roxas' shirt over his head to join his coat on the floor.

He sat back took in the wondrous sight beneath him, open palms trailing down Roxas' pale-colored torso that was several shades lighter than Roxas' tanned arms, neck and face, his farmer's tan not taking away from the loveliness of his overall features. He felt Roxas tremble under his warm touch, watching as his skin started to turn a rosy color that was already painted on his cheeks, elbows bent so his hands were at each side of his head, heavy blue eyes watching as he was studied by the scarred man above him.

"_Du bist schön_ ." Axel repeated in a soft whisper, his eyes shifting from Roxas' torso to his face as a hand slipped between the blonde's legs, gripping the semi-hardened member beneath a pair of boxers and green athletic basketball shorts and massaging it with a firm rhythm. He watched as Roxas' brow scrunched together as he closed his eyes tightly, exasperated breath accompanying a suppressed moan as his hands gripped the thick comforter beneath them and spread his legs wider, giving Axel complete and total control over him. Axel couldn't help but stare, listening to Roxas' mewls and whimpers as his hand continued to work the front of Roxas' pants, his other hand having slid down to Roxas' lower thigh and dived under the very loose green fabric, his palm sliding up the heated flesh beneath with a slow touch. He just looked so lovely like this… Axel never wanted to forget that look on Roxas' face, the sounds that spilled from those soft pouting lips that were for him and him alone.

"A-Axel…" Roxas breathed heavily, feeling the muscles in his thigh twitch with expectation as Axel's hand slid higher and higher, fingers slipping beneath the fabric of his boxers as well. He was growing impatient with Axel's teasing and wanted to be freed from his clothed prison. He proved his point by bucking his hips into Axel's hand as he whimpered. "Please..?"

"Of course." Axel smiled softly as his hands retreated from their ventures, fingers quickly grabbing the waistband of his shorts and his boxers and pulling them both down at the same time, stepping off of the bed for just a moment to pull them completely off before climbing back into the bed with a nude Roxas waiting eagerly for Axel's warmth. Roxas had to contain a loud moan as Axel's fingers wrapped around his erection, instead leaving his lips in a very unmanly squeak. He didn't have much time to feel embarrassed by it as Axel started working his length, his other hand cupping his scrotum and massaging it gingerly in his hands. Roxas' head fell back onto the comforter as he squeezed his eyes shut, completely consumed in the spine-tingling pleasure that Axel was readily providing and trying to be quiet about it all the while. The only person he was concerned about hearing them was Sora, because he was just down the hall in own bedroom, but hopefully he had his door closed and was too busy playing video games to hear whatever sounds would be made during this heated moment.

The control he thought he had over his own voice became a moot point, however, when he felt something wet trace over the head of his erection.

"Nnn-yahh!" Roxas' leg muscles seized and his toes curled inwards tightly, eyes shooting open to see what exactly Axel was doing to make him feel so mind-numbingly _good_. Axel had leaned his head down and was teasing his lower head with his tongue, twisting over the top in small circles and then stroked the entire underside of his cock with one slow lick, pausing just under the mushroom-shaped head to trace the thick vein beneath it with his wet tongue, leaving trails of saliva in its wake. Axel managed to look up and see Roxas staring at him with wide eyes, and accidently took that as a sign of fear and stopped what he was doing. "No, no, don't stop!" Roxas quickly corrected him through his soft panting. "Please don't…"

Axel went above and beyond Roxas' request when he leaned his head back down and closed his mouth over the quivering head and gave an experimental suck, which soon lead to another, and another as he milked sweet moans from his blonde lover. Roxas' legs tensed, his whole body shaking as he gripped the comforter tighter, restraining the urge to buck into Axel's mouth as much as he could. God, why was he taking so long to take more of it in his mouth? Roxas felt Axel take in another inch or two before he abruptly stopped doing it entirely.

"That's probably not a good idea." Axel mumbled under his breath, bringing his hand back to Roxas' hard length and started teasing the head with his thumb again.

"W-wh-why?" Roxas whimpered, under the influence of both is disappointment but continued pleasure from Axel's ministrations. "It felt so good…"

"I know," Axel said, sounding just as disappointed as Roxas felt, stopping his hand's motions as he looked up at Roxas. "But you forget, I'm not exactly supposed to put things in my mouth that isn't hair. It's not a problem when you're dry because a penis is a body part, not something consumable. But if you came while you were in my mouth, I'm not sure what would happen. I don't want to risk that." Axel's palm released his prey's cock and let his fingers slowly trail from Roxas' upper thigh to his navel. "Besides," He added with a little more of a humorous undertone. "I wouldn't be able to put a lot of you in my mouth anyway because my throat's almost swollen shut. I'd choke."

"Oh…" Roxas couldn't help but feel guilty for the selfishness he had felt when he was upset that Axel stopped. Axel was only looking out for him and his safety. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't be, babe." Axel assured him as he adjusted himself a little higher up so he could hover over Roxas' face again, kissing his forehead and down the bridge of his nose and then finally his lips. "I'm the one that should be sorry. I hate that I can't do that for you… especially since you seemed to like it so much." It almost sounded like Axel was more upset about it than Roxas was. He didn't want Axel to be sad about it because he understood the redhead's intentions completely. There had to be something he could do to make Axel feel better…

"Um…" Roxas' could feel his face turning red already, wondering if it was a good idea to suggest this or not. He had absolutely no experience when it came to pleasuring another boy orally. "I guess…if you can't do it for me…I could do it for you...?" Roxas' voice got progressively quieter from the sentence's start to finish, averting his gaze to Axel's chest instead of his face.

"…Really?" Axel said with a hint of doubt. "Are you sure? I mean, do you think you'd be comfortable with doing something like that? Because if you aren't, you don't need to force yourself to try to make me feel better."

"I mean…I dunno, I've never done it before." Roxas admitted as he hid his face in his hands, now feeling even worse. "Do you… uh, want me to?"

"It doesn't matter whether I want you to or not. I'm not going to make you do something you don't want to do. If you're sure about this, I'll help you through it, otherwise…" Axel was hesitant to make promises for the future, to say 'we can try it later,' because there might not be a 'later.' It would be awesome if Roxas really went through with this, but he wasn't going to make him do it. He had been in the same position before, after all.

"I want to." Roxas said with sudden, newfound enthusiasm as he looked up at Axel. "You're always doing things for me and making me feel hot like this… I want to do the same to you."

"Believe me, Roxas," Axel said with a small smile as he ran his hot tongue over Roxas' sweet lips. "You already drive me crazy by how incredibly sexy you are."

"I still want to at least try." Roxas said, not really appreciating the fact that Axel was trying to convince him to change his mind.

"Hm… okay then." Axel relented, being careful to knock the back of his leg into Roxas' straight-standing erection as he climbed off of the blonde and stood back up on the floor, unbuttoning and unzipping his pants. "But if you get uncomfortable and want to stop, then do so. I won't get upset with you if you do."

"You've got to guide me through this, 'cause I've never done this before." Roxas repeated as he sat up on the bed, his eyes already locked onto Axel's hips as his black pants fell to the floor, this being the first time Roxas could actually focus on Axel's size visually. It was bigger than his, he had to admit, but it was because it was proportioned to Axel's much taller stature compared to his shorter one. The mane of thick, bright red hair only proved a point that was made earlier in the day and made Roxas involuntary snort at the thought.

"What's so funny?" Axel said defensively as he slinked back onto the bed.

"Just thinking about how Hayner asked if your hair color was natural or not." Roxas replied as their foreheads butted together playfully.

"Of course it's natural." Axel said proudly, sitting up on his knees and putting his hands on his hips, making a proud pose with his chin in the air. "Come on, look at this sexy red color. Can't find anything like it anywhere else." Roxas honestly couldn't help himself, having been presented with such a great opportunity, and ran his fingers teasingly along the underside of Axel's arousal, making the Preta flinch and give a visible shutter, sucking in his breath through his teeth.

"That was cheap." Axel growled.

"You were the one waving your junk proudly in my face." Roxas rebutted. Axel just smirked, intrigued by Roxas' actions, and moved so he was sitting on the bed beside Roxas and grabbed his shoulders so Roxas was now sitting in front of him. Roxas needed little prompting, drawing close immediately and kissed Axel deeply and passionately, one arm curling around his neck while the other hand trailed slowly down Axel's chest with a teasing touch. Axel gripped Roxas' lower lip with his teeth and tugged on it as he felt Roxas' fingers wrap around his length, groaning as Roxas gave him the same attention that the redhead had given him not too long ago.

The kiss didn't last very long, because Roxas wanted to go ahead and give this oral thing a try. Axel took the hint and scooted back before laying back onto the bed, supporting himself up on his elbows to watch Roxas and help him out.

"Okay…so..." Roxas positioned himself over Axel's hips, feeling a little anxious but still wanting to try to make this work. He remembered how Axel's moans had sound the last time they were like this and how much he loved to hear them, and wanted to hear Axel moan like that again. That, if anything else, was his motivation.

"Just try to copy what I did." Axel offered, that being the only advice he would really give Roxas for now.

"That's all?" Roxas questioned. Axel nodded his head. As much as he didn't want to rush Roxas into it, he was really hoping that Roxas would do something soon, because he had an itch that desperately needed scratching, one way or the other. Roxas seemed hesitant at first, starting out by just pumping Axel's erection in his hand like he had done several times before, feeling Axel's legs tense up beneath him as he gave another hiss through his teeth. There was an occasional grunt and groan with these motions, but Roxas wanted to hear more. Following Axel's lead, he leaned his head down and gave a ginger lick to the lower head.

"A little more…" Axel said hoarsely, trying to encourage a further response from Roxas. Roxas heeded Axel's words and wrapped his fingers around the base of the redhead's cock to hold him steady and started slowly lapping his tongue over the sensitive lower tip. Axel let out a shaky moan as his hips jerked upwards, the lack of such a sensation on his cock in so many years hitting him hard and making his nerves buzz with sensitive pleasure. It felt great, but he wanted Roxas to go even farther so he could exploit this delicious sensitivity. Roxas didn't want to admit that he felt a little rushed, so he went ahead and wrapped his lips around Axel's lower head and started sucking as Axel had done to him earlier.

"_Ooohhh_, shit…" Axel gasped, not only finding the feeling of Roxas' tongue and lips on him like this arousing, but being able to watch Roxas, to see him doing it was making it all the more enjoyable. "That's it…" He was forced to lay his head back as he moved his arms out from under him so he could place his hands on the back of Roxas' head, gently guiding his head up and down so Roxas would be able to get the motions and do them on his own. Axel's eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head as Roxas started bobbing his head up and down on his own accord, sliding up and down at a medium pace as Roxas quickly learned from Axel's guidance of his hands. Soon, Axel stopped applying any pressure to Roxas' head completely and instead dug his fingers into Roxas' hair to enjoy the ride.

It didn't matter if Axel let out an occasional loud moan because no one else could hear such a sexy sound but Roxas. Roxas' hand around the base had been idle at first, but as Roxas worked more and more of Axel into his mouth, he began using that hand as well to work in time with his sucks and strokes of his tongue, which soon had Axel reduced to heavy pants and sweet moans of pleasure that only encouraged Roxas further. The redhead writhed beneath him, completely dumbstruck as to how it was physically possible for this to feel so good despite Roxas' lack of experience. Even if the blonde wasn't sure of what he was doing and it wasn't the best blowjob in the world, Axel's hypersensitivity was making pretty much anything Roxas did feel amazing.

"Mmmn…Roxa-ahh…Roxasss," Axel tried to speak, but constant strong waves of physical bliss was hitting him over and over again, making it very difficult to speak coherently and instead slurred his speech together with his moans. "Rox..nnngh… ss-stop, stop.."

"Hmm?" Roxas hummed as he pulled Axel out of his mouth, making an audible popping noise as he did so. Axel dared to look down, and nearly orgasmed at the sight of the blonde with his hair all messy and unkempt, his throbbing erection that slightly glistened in the light from Roxas' saliva in the teen's hand as he looked up at Axel with such a hazy look in his big blue eyes, mouth opened slightly with his tongue poked out just enough so it looked like he was panting, a dribble of spit trailing out of the corner of his mouth. It was unbelievably hot beyond all reason.

"Sweet Jesus I almost came." Axel howled as he let his head fall back onto the bed, unable to look at such a sight for very long and control himself. He didn't want to come just yet. He had more in store for the evening and couldn't afford to have it end like this.

"I don't think you should say something like that." Roxas stated as he wiped the corner of his mouth with his hand.

"I don't care. You are just the hottest thing I've ever seen. I'm not even kidding."

"Why did you make me stop, then?"

"Because I'm not finished with you yet." Axel started to sit up, reaching out to wrap his arm around Roxas' neck and give him a sloppy kiss. "Would you happen to have any lotion?"

"Um… I think there's some in the bathroom.." Roxas said thoughtfully. "I don't want to go out there like this though…"

"No worries." Axel gave his lips another peck before leaving the bed. "I'll go get it." Roxas just watched as Axel walked towards the door stark naked, taking note of how there were even more scars along Axel's back, and it looked like he almost had a chuck of muscle on the back of his right leg missing. Roxas inspected it with confusion, but didn't question its origin as Axel opened the door and stuck his head out, looking down the hallway and then walked out, closing the door behind him. Roxas sighed as he was thankful for the fact that Axel was invisible to all but him, because he had no idea how Sora would react if he saw a strange tall naked man walking leisurely to the bathroom like he owned the place.

As the silence settled in around him, Roxas was able to realize what exactly was about to happen. He was pretty sure Axel wasn't going to be using that lotion for his skin, that's for sure. He couldn't help but feel a little nervous for what was to come, but he could only hope that Axel would be patient with him in the heat of the moment. He busied himself by pulling back the comforter and crawling under it, his body suddenly chilled from the lack of Axel's body close to his. The urge to touch himself while Axel was gone was much too great, soothing it by occasionally dragging his fingers up and down his length and giving him chills as he waited for Axel to return.

"Honey, I'm home," Axel chirped sweetly as he entered back into the room, making Roxas stifle a laugh. Axel took the time to close the door behind him and flick the door on the lock, ensuring that they would not be interrupted. He then flicked off the lights, drenching the room in a dull, blue light that came from the darkness of the evening that spilled into the room, only adding to the appeal of what was to come. As Axel looked back towards the bed to see Roxas already bundled up and comfortable under the covers and waiting for him, the redhead clicked his tongue disapprovingly as he shook his head. "Look at you, being all sexy while I'm gone. That just isn't going to work for me."

"Then why don't you do something about it?" Roxas challenged with a smug smile.

"Ooh, don't mind if I do." Axel purred as he pounced onto the bed, crawling towards the blonde until he loomed over him like a predator staring down his prey, mashing their lips together in a lengthy, lust-filled kiss as Axel slipped under the shield of the comforter with his little boy toy. Axel grinned as they parted for breath, pushing Roxas down into the soft pillows beneath him and properly mounted himself on top of the blonde, rolling his hips over Roxas' as their hardened sexes clashed together and made both of them groan with want. Axel's hands went straight to Roxas's chest, rolling his nipples between his thumb and index finger as they grinded against one another, making Roxas thrash out and shake beneath him as he pushed up into Axel harder, wanting more friction, more feeling, more of that god damned heat that Axel put out that made him melt into a puddle of willingness and vulnerability for Axel to do as he pleased.

"All right," Axel murmured as his assault on Roxas' chest and pelvic area drew to a close, and Roxas became aware of the tube of body lotion that Axel had been holding in his hand the entire time as he flipped the cap open with his thumb. "Before we continue, I've got to prep you. It's going to feel uncomfortable at first, but just bear with me."

"Okay…" Roxas nodded slowly, but Axel could see the nervousness in Roxas' eyes and leaned down to kiss him gently.

"I promise I'll be gentle." Axel said as he nuzzled Roxas' cheek with his nose. "You let me know if it hurts too much though, okay?"

"Mhm." Roxas nodded again, watching as Axel emptied a small amount of the lotion onto his index and middle finger and placed the tube to the side, rubbing the slick liquid over the two fingers. Axel could tell that watching him do this wasn't helping, so he busied the blonde's attention by attaching himself to the side of his neck and started working on one of his signature hickeys. Roxas tensed up and laced his fingers through spiky red hair, not giving any sign of protesting the action as he groaned Axel's name. Axel hummed in response to hearing his name, sending vibrations to Roxas' skin and making it tingle like pop rocks.

Taking this opportunity, Axel spread Roxas' legs and reached down with two lubricated fingers, sliding slowly along the crevice of Roxas' ass with a soft touch before pushing in just a little, his long fingers probing at Roxas' entrance.

"Relax," Axel purred into Roxas' ear reassuringly when Roxas recoiled from the touch instinctively, making a noise of uncertainty. "Look at me, just look at me, I won't hurt you, I promise." He showered Roxas' face with kisses, waiting until the teen's tense muscles grew lax and became comfortable with Axel's fingers just being near that area. Then, Axel slowly slipped in his index finger into Roxas' entrance.

Roxas made another unsure noise as he shrunk back a little from the foreign intrusion, but Axel continued to soothe him with comforting kisses and touches. It didn't hurt at all with it being only one finger, it just felt very odd and uncomfortable. Slowly Axel worked his finger in and out, just getting the blonde accustomed to the feeling of something inside of him. Gradually, he introduced a second finger into the equation, and that's when Roxas started to feel a small amount of pain. He kept the majority of his whimpers to himself until a third finger was added, and then he was finding it very hard to contain his discomfort as he squeezed his eyes shut, feeling tears start to form in the corners of his eyes. It tugged at Axel's heartstrings to hear Roxas whimper like that while he scissored his fingers inside of him after pushing past the tight ring of muscle, but he knew that it was important that he opened Roxas up as much as possible or the main event would be even more painful. Axel sat upright, angling his fingers in a certain direction as they probed around for a special sweet spot, one that would surely make Roxas' cries of pain become cries of pleasure. In the meantime, he used his other hand to pull on Roxas' cock with firm, quick strokes to help ease the current pain and keep him occupied until he found _just the right spot_… then Axel had a thought.

Roxas made whines of protest as Axel let go of his cock and slipped behind him, fingers searching the small of Roxas' back as he looked for a previously discovered tender spot. He could recall the reaction Roxas made when Axel had touched it the first time, maybe it could help the cause… _Bingo_. Fingers brushed upon that elusive spot and Roxas' hips jerked upwards reflexively as he mewled, which in turn made Axel's long fingers slip inside him deeper, the pads of his fingers brushing against Roxas' prostate.

"_Aaaahh-xell_!" Roxas cried as his hands shot forward to grab the Preta's shoulders, his whole body shaking as experienced the blinding ecstasy of his prostate being touched for the first time.

"Feels good?" Axel whispered sensually into Roxas' ear as he hooked his long fingers, pressing into the bundle of nerves head on. The string of incomprehensible moans that spilled from his mouth was all Axel needed to hear. He smirked as he started to finger the writhing blonde beneath him and jerked him off with the other hand, fingers scraping against his prostate with every thrust of his wrist, giving Roxas a mere taste of what was to come. Roxas' jaw was open wide in a silent scream as he took it, breathing heavily as that tingling heat from Axel's fingertips seemed to jolt him every time it touched that sweet spot inside him, sending shocks of electric bliss to his very core. He gripped Axel's arms tightly, needing some kind of support, any kind at all, to at least keep him sane as the rest of his body was ready to spaz completely out of control. It was almost ironic; here he was, someone who had been strictly against abnormality and change in his life now completely mindless at the hands of a supernatural being that had turn his life completely upside down and inside out, and he was loving every second of it. All he could think was more, more, _more._

Axel's hand started to slow down, and Roxas felt himself slowly coming back to earth. _No, not yet_, he thought numbly. _I was so close…I could see it…_ He gave a sad whimper as the Preta withdrew his fingers from the younger male's entrance, making him feel unfinished and incomplete. Axel couldn't help but smile with smug amusement as Roxas' eyes boldly stated 'How dare you?'

"I swear, if I wasn't good with my own self control, I could get off on those sexy faces you keep making at me." Axel murmured as he leaned down and practically licked that scowl off of Roxas' mouth and pushed through his lips in a very heavy and dominating kiss. Axel nearly purred in satisfaction as he felt Roxas' teeth scrape against his tongue, grabbing it and tugging upon it as he snatched Axel's head into a firm embrace. Axel practically had to fight the little blonde to get him to let go.

"Damn, Roxas, you're a little spitfire." Axel hummed, his eyes speaking very lustfully perverted thoughts, his shoulder twitching with a chill as his wet fingers slid up and down the crevice of Roxas' ass. "I fucking love it."

"You always find a way to annoy me, even in the middle of foreplay." Roxas growled. "Stop being a tease and finish what you started."

"Can't say no to that." Axel sneered as he picked up the lotion again, squeezing out a considerable amount into his hand applying it to his rock hard shaft and shivering from his own touch. Roxas could only watch, feeling both eager and nervous at the same time. Axel's cock was definitely bigger than three fingers. But he could feel the faint traces of that pleasure that Axel had left behind from fingering him, and so he was willing to put up with a little more pain if it meant that he could feel that great again.

"Ready?" Axel asked as he tossed the lotion to the floor, it's services no longer needed as he picked up Roxas by his thighs, lifting him up and pushed a couple of pillows under Roxas' lower back to keep him at this angle for easier access. With a tap to his thigh, Roxas wrapped his legs around Axel's thin waist for support.

"I think so." Roxas gave him a nod. Despite the fact that they had just gotten finished play arguing only moments ago, he couldn't help but feel the heavy, lust-filled air slip into a moment of sweet adoration as Axel smiled down at him, picking up one of Roxas' hands into his and placing a light kiss on each of his knuckles as green eyes looked down upon him tenderly.

"_Also sehr schön," _Axel whispered into the skin of Roxas' knuckles, receiving a questioning look from the teen beneath him. The Preta just shook his head and let go of Roxas' hand to place his back on Roxas' hip as he smiled down at him again. "Remember to let me know if it hurts." With that, Axel gripped Roxas' hips firmly and entered into his new blonde lover slowly with one push.

Roxas clenched his teeth together, already knowing that this was going to hurt much more than Axel's fingers as his legs tightened around Axel's waist, a mild thought passing through the back of his mind as to how skinny Axel was and worried that if he hugged too tightly that he was going to snap the redhead in half. Yet, as Axel continued pushing himself deeper and spreading the inner walls of flesh to accommodate him, Roxas became aware of Axel's strength despite his otherwise weak looking appearance in the nude. So scarred, beaten and bruised, but yet so strong and firm in his strength, and gentle with his warm touch. That warmth seemed to invade Roxas from the inside just like Axel's cock, pushing deeper and deeper and seeking out those special nerves, most exposed and most vulnerable to its assault. Roxas' eyes squeezed shut and he felt the smallest of a tear trickle out of the corner of his eye as he grunted in pain, but Axel's lips were quickly there to brush it away and then kiss him in the same slow and deep rhythm that he was entering him. Soon, Axel had pressed through hard enough to sheathe himself completely inside.

Axel stopped moving his hips to give Roxas a moment to adjust. He reached up with one hand to wipe the small layer of perspiration that was glistening on the blonde's forehead away and trail his fingers down Roxas' face as they looked at one another, their breath heavy and their muscles twitching with pent up energy. Axel's hands began to roam, down Roxas' chest, tracing every dip in his silky smooth skin from every perfectly curved muscle in comparison to his own, fingertips tracing small circles around is nipples. Roxas let out a relaxed sigh as his eyes drifted to a close, allowing Axel's fingers to seduce him so, feeling them slide up his chest and to his neck, tracing the new red spot that he had created on the side of the teen's neck, making him shutter and turn his head to the side voluntarily and grant him access there if he chose to exploit it.

"Roxas…" Axel leaned down and kissed the center of his chest, grazing his hot tongue over the heated flesh and making Roxas stiffen as his breath hitched. "Will you make a promise to me?"

"W-what kind of promise?" Roxas asked with a near stutter, unable to move as he felt Axel's tongue continue to lick and flick upon his skin as it traveled upwards.

"Promise me… that you'll remember this evening… for the rest of your life." Axel spoke between licks, gradually making his way up the side of Roxas' neck. "That you'll never forget it… and you'll never forget me."

"I could never forget you…" Roxas murmured as his hands coiled around Axel's neck, stroking his long red hair. "Never…"

"As long as you don't forget," Axel stopped just under Roxas' earlobe, nipping at the loose-hanging flesh and giving it a tug before he continued to whisper what would only register to Roxas as sweet nothings instead of a hidden farewell. "You'll never be alone."

Axel didn't want to wait to hear what Roxas was going to say next. It would most likely be him asking why he would say something like that, and Axel couldn't bear to have to answer it. When Roxas tried to open his mouth to speak, any words that were intended to be said fell into pained cries as Axel pulled himself halfway out and began thrusting into Roxas softly as he grabbed Roxas' erection and began to toy with it in his hand, already feeling the precum starting to make his hand slick as he played with it. Axel kept up this slow, leisurely pace despite his own wishes until Roxas' whimpers died away and had his arms snaking around Axel desperately as he begged for a faster pace.

As Axel sped up the pace, Roxas was having difficulty trying to match it because he was having difficulty trying to follow the rhythm while his entire body was under attack from the hot and intense pleasure that was pooling at his groin and rushing to his brain. His hands gripped the Preta's maimed backside tightly as he just gave up trying and held on, his moans and grunts getting progressively more frequent and louder as Axel thrusted into him quickly and deeply. At this point, the thick blanket that had been casted over their naked forms quickly fell away from Axel's back, leaving them both exposed but neither one of them really seemed to care that much. Skin slapped together, accompanied by fantastic friction and Axel's moans to Roxas whining _mmmore, Axel, please, more! ohhh yes don't stop…!_

Axel had no idea that actually having sex with Roxas would feel this great. At first it had only been a mild fantasy that struck his fancy every so often, then became a dream, a small hope, and now that it was a reality, it was unlike anything he could have imagined. He wasn't sure if it was because it had been so long since he had any sort of sexual intercourse, the first time for this particular lifetime, or if Roxas was just a dream come true, but it didn't matter. All that really mattered was that Roxas was here in his arms, dragging him down to the closest possible place that Heaven could be experienced here on Earth. Even if it was just for this one night, this incredible boy with a beautiful flaxen halo was his and no one was going to take that from him.

"I-I'm almost…! _Oooh_Axell I'm almost…!" Roxas' entire body began to tense, his toes curling and arms shaking as he thrusted up into Axel's hand blindly, climax beginning to creep up to him and steal him away.

"Come on," Axel groaned huskily as his thrusts became quick and wild, quickly grabbing hold of one of Roxas' thighs and lifting his leg up high in the air and made the angle even better for Axel to really ram forward into him and nail his prostate dead on with each thrust. "You can do it, Roxas…._nnnngh_!" Axel's eyes grew wide as his own climax hit him a lot faster than he wanted it to. He couldn't stop it now, his body trembling violently as he rode it out in a series of brutal thrusts as he gave a final moan of his lover's name, which resulted in a spray of hot seed spilling into his palm as Roxas replied with a loving cry of his own.

Axel was able to withdraw himself from Roxas before he fell over into a lifeless heap beside him like a hard stone. Roxas couldn't move, his body wouldn't allow him to as he drifted in this enlightened state of exhilaration as they lay there in the mess and tangle of blankets and pillows and tried to catch their breath.

As Roxas started to come back to grips with reality, he became aware of the emptiness and lack of Axel's presence. Lazily, he opened his eyes, his vision fuzzy at the edges as he slowly turned his head to the side to see the redhead beside him in a similar position as him, his eyes closed and lips parted as his chest heaved up and down heavily. It took Roxas a moment before he found any strength within him at all to lift up his limbs and roll off of the small mountain of pillows beneath his rump that Axel had placed there, appreciative of the lack of effort it took for him to fall right beside Axel with his head atop the Preta's shoulder with his arm lying limp over his skinny waist.

"Hm?" Was all Axel could manage to grunt as he turned his head, finding his nostrils invaded with the sweet smell of golden hair right in his face. Eyes snapped open instinctively, but the powerful afterglow of sex was making any attempt to move towards the hair very sluggish and honestly too much trouble. At least he was a little more alert now, and knew that Roxas was close to him. _Roxas…_ a lazy smile drifted upon Axel's face as he gripped the thick blanket that lay just at his hand, pulling it over their exposed naked forms as he turned to the side to pull the blonde into a loving embrace.

"That…" Axel murmured into his forehead as his palm stroked Roxas' back gently after taking a second to wipe the sticky mess in his had off onto a faraway pillow. "was incredible."

"Mhm…" Roxas murred as he nuzzled his cheek into the warmth of Axel's chest, his fingertips tracing a particularly large scar that scaled beneath the redhead's collar bone and across his deformed nipple with a tender touch, feeling a sudden desire to crane his head upwards slightly to kiss the damaged nub. Axel was moved by Roxas' display and gathered his face in his hand, leaning down to give him an equally sweet kiss on the lips.

"Have I ever told you that you are amazing?" Axel asked.

"Not until earlier..." Roxas said through hooded blue eyes.

"Because you are." Axel stated as they rubbed their noses together. "_Du bist schön._"

"You keep saying that… what does it mean?"

"You are beautiful." Axel smiled as he watched Roxas blush, quickly hiding his face in Axel's chest again as the Preta chuckled and placed a palm on the back of Roxas' head, stroking his hair gently. "It's true. It makes me want to change your nickname to something like 'Engel' or 'Schatz.' Suits you much better than just 'Roxy_.'_."

"What is it with you and pet names?" Roxas grumbled.

"I can't help it." Axel shrugged a little. "Where I'm from, giving a loved one a pet name is very common."

"How many people have you called by a nickname?"

"Including you?" Axel chewed on the thought of answering that question truthfully. Perhaps this once…it's not like it would matter in the end. "Demyx had me call him Dem when I first met him because it was easier for me to say, so that doesn't count. So really, only two."

"The other guy you had a relationship with?"

"Oh god no." Axel snorted. "I used to call my little sister 'Mausi.' Little mouse."

"Why?"

"She was a very quiet and gentle girl." Axel sighed as he hugged Roxas a little more firmly.

"...I'm guessing from the sound of that sigh that she's dead?"

"Yes." Axel nuzzled his face into Roxas' hair. "Can we not talk about her, please? At least not right now."

"I'm sorry…" Why did Roxas seem to have this uncanny ability to screw up nice moments and whatnot with his own curiosity? At least he knew that one thing Demyx had said was true, in that he had mentioned that Axel had a younger sister. Roxas couldn't help but wonder what she was like. If Axel really didn't give a nickname to just anyone… was he really that special to him?

"It's okay." Axel assured him. "I kind of brought it upon myself. I can tell you more later, but right now I just want to be here with you."

"And cuddle?" Roxas added with slight enthusiasm. Axel smiled and closed his eyes, still petting Roxas' hair gently. He would stay up all night and cuddle Roxas until he couldn't take it anymore. He'd spend it whispering sweet words into his ear, German or English, whichever and whatever he wanted. He would even go another round with Roxas again if he only asked. He didn't care what they did or how they did it. Just as long as he could stare into those beautiful blue eyes for just a little while longer and keep pretending that just for a moment that he could spend forever in this place, on this plane, in this bed with Roxas, then he was perfectly content. _If only I could bring you with me…_

* * *

**_-Engel- Angel._**

**_-Schatz- Treasure. Common German pet name. He's probably going to keep 'Roxy' though. lol._**

**_Aaaandd...this would be the longest chapter in the fic so far. Hah. I figure this question is going to pop up to me from some people, so I'll go ahead and answer it now - Can a Preta really have sex with a human? The answer is yes. :D Like Demyx said in earlier chapters, Pretas will do just about anything to get what they need, and that is not limited to just pestering people. They can resort to seducing their victims like a succumbus or incubus, especially if what they hunger for is of the lustful nature. (That 'unbearable heat' that Roxas likes so much when Axel's aroused is actually the energy he would use to easily seduce someone to get what he wanted from them. Roxas doesn't need that, so there's just enough to relax him. Yeah, Axel's an indirect incubus. lol!) Back in the old days, Pretas were said to only feed on disgusting things like feces, semen, etc. They had to get semen somehow, right? XD Nowadays it's just about anything, though. They are masters of illusionnnnn *says in a mystical creepy voice.*_**


	33. A Covert Operation

_**A/N: I would like to take this A/N spot to plug in Atira5 for her wonderfully freaking awesome fanart she has given to me. It's titled "Mausi," and is of Axel and Aerith! :D It made me a very, very happy writer indeed! Link is below:**_

_**atiragrame3 . deviantart . com /#/d32q6wi (remove spaces!)**_

_**If you enjoy Axel and Aerith in this story as much as I do, you'll love it. Go look at it! NAO! Please? :3. I know I said I would dedicate this chapter to her, but I'm going to wait until the next one, because I promised her a super special long chapter, and I'm going to keep that promise! I also wanted to include something lemony/limy in this chapter too, but it honestly doesn't fit into the plot and decided against it. (Roxas' bum hole can only take so much the first time, yes? Poor thing.) I sorry! I hope the next chapter will make up for it. So the next chapter, Atira5, is for you!**_

_**As for this one, enjoy!**_

* * *

**Week 7, Day 48, Tuesday**

For a few minutes, it was almost like a fairytale morning to Axel. He and Roxas struggled to stay awake after they had calmed down from their escapade and spent their time in soft conversation and close snuggling, but fatigue soon claimed Roxas while he was in the middle of his own sentence, and the silence soon stole Axel away as well. The Preta awoke before the loud and obnoxious alarm clock, slowly coming out of a bleak, dreamless slumber and found his vision partially obscured by disheveled blonde spikes in his face. Hunger prodded him to fully awaken, aware that his hand was very close to the back of Roxas' hand and had the biggest urge to just reach up and touch the soft hair until he caught a glimpse of Roxas' sleeping face.

Roxas was still curled up in front of him, his arms tucked in close to his chest as Axel had held him in a protective embrace during the night. Each time he exhaled, his breath tickled the redhead's chest as his cherubic face seemed to be the pinnacle of innocence and beauty as he slept so soundly, despite the faint light of a creeping sunrise peeking through the window and shining across the top half of his face, only highlighting golden blonde hair to make it truly appear to Axel like a halo. It was enough of a sight to make the Preta's breath become still as his hand quickly ceased it's movement, not wanting to ruin it by stirring him due to his obsessive hunger. He just looked so lovely, so peaceful, just absolutely amazing. It like Axel was seeing him in a completely different light.

_Is it really possible for a Preta to love a human like this_, Axel questioned himself as he exhaled loudly through his nose, closing his eyes to slip into a solitary darkness to ponder over racing thoughts. _Is this really love I feel? If it is, it has the crappiest timing in the world… Speaking of crappy timing,_ Axel's eyes shot wide open as he remembered exactly what day it was. He heard Roxas give a drowsy grunt as he instinctively tightened his grip around the blonde, careful green eyes looking over the golden peaks and to the side, straining his neck as he turned his head to try to take a look behind himself. So far, everything looked normal. He felt stupid afterwards for getting so worked up all of a sudden, but he really had no idea what to expect. The Organization would strike at anytime, anywhere, and Axel had to be ready for it.

_ZZZZZZZZTT! ZZZZZTT!_

Roxas wasn't quite sure what woke him up first – the alarm clock or the feeling of his head suddenly plopping down onto the flatness of the mattress as Axel withdrew his arm out from under his head very quickly.

"Ow…" Roxas' morning voice cracked, though it didn't really hurt that much to warrant such a response, it more or less slipped out reflexively. But once he shifted his legs around to try to turn over to reach for the alarm clock, pain shot through his spine and he let out a firmer and more painful-sounding "Ow…!"

"Hold on." Axel said as he leaned over and squished Roxas' face into his chest as he turned off the alarm, trying to play off the fact that the loud buzzer had startled the crap out of him. Once that matter had been tended to, he settled back into his spot and saw the pained expression on Roxas' face. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah…" Roxas held a stiff upper lip as he rolled over onto his back. "I'm just really glad we didn't do that while we were at the Cabin after all."

"Aw, someone's feeling sore." Axel cooed as he trailed his fingers down Roxas' chest, propping up his head on his other arm.

"Don't tease me." A glimmer of grumpy morning Roxas commanded sleepily.

"You might want to specify what kind of teasing you're talking about." Lazy fingers continued to caress up and down the blonde's stomach.

"The teasing with your mouth."

"Um, what?" Axel laughed at Roxas' half-sleepy response. "I promise you I'm not doing anything like that with my mouth. Unless you want me to." The redhead added with a suggestive purr.

"No, no," Roxas growled as he shook his head. "Gah, I'm tired, I don't know what I'm saying. That's not what I meant and you know it."

"Suurrre."

"I meant you teasing me for being sore." Roxas brought his hands to his face to rub the sleep from his eyes, trying to make himself wake up so he wouldn't say something stupid again.

"So…" Axel leaned over just a little bit, looking at Roxas questioningly. "I guess that means I can't do this?" Before he could question what the Preta meant, he promptly received his answer when Axel quickly ran his tongue over Roxas' left nipple, making him jerk in surprise.

"Yes, it does!" Roxas shoved the lecherous Preta's forehead away and crossed his arms over his chest protectively, making sure his hands safely protected those sensitive areas on his chest and rolled over so his back faced the redhead.

"Come on, don't be like that," Axel sounded apologetic, but he couldn't hide the huge grin on his face as he pulled the frazzled blonde back to spoon with him. "You know I'm playing."

"I really should get out bed and take a shower," the blonde stated, probably as an attempt to change the subject and avoid the face that was suddenly all up in his business on the left side of his face.

"I can think of at least five reasons why you should just stay here in bed with me." Axel challenged.

"Really? Try me."

"One, because playing hooky is fun." Axel emphasized his first point by laying a single finger on Roxas' stomach. "Two, because you're hurting and it's going to be hard explaining to your friends why you're walking a little funny." He laid another finger on his stomach. "Three, because you're only pretending to be upset with me when you really don't feel like getting out of bed anyway." A third finger. "Four, because you know that staying in bed with me means more cuddling, and you really like cuddling." A fourth. "And five, because you want to turn over and let me give you a good morning kiss and tell you how gorgeous you look right now." The last one made Roxas look over his shoulder and give Axel a skeptical look.

"Seriously?" Roxas perked a brow.

"It got your attention, didn't it?" Axel smiled as he pulled Roxas' shoulder back slightly to give him a good enough angle to lean in and kiss him. It was quick, but tender at the same time. He could see that little smile on Roxas' face when he pulled away.

"Okay, woo me." Roxas said expectantly.

"Pssh," Axel suddenly changed his entire demeanor as he shoved Roxas halfway out of the bed. "I changed my mind, get up and do something about that awful morning breath."

"What happened to all that fancy German sweet talk you were doing last night, huh?" he shot back as he was so rudely pushed out of his own bed.

"_Fahr zur Hölle*!_" The Preta spouted in foreign tongue as he pulled the thick comforter over his head and disappeared under the cover of the blanket. How convenient it was when the alarm clock decided to go off again at that very moment. In retaliation to whatever it was Axel said, Roxas picked up the battery-operated clock and threw it at the large lump. The electronic device sailed forward and nailed Axel right in the middle of his chest, to which he exclaimed "Ow!"

"Take that!"

"I dare you to throw something at me again, _I dare you_." A foreboding voice stated from beneath the comforter. Of course, Roxas didn't hesitate to rise to the challenge and promptly grabbed the still buzzing alarm clock and threw it at him again. This time he only got a hiss of pain as a result, but Axel stuck his head out from under the covers and narrowed his eyes at Roxas threateningly.

"I'm warning you," Axel growled. "Throw that at me one more time and I'm going to rape you."

"You make it sound like I wouldn't enjoy it." Roxas retaliated as he snatched the clock back quickly and shut off the alarm, the room becoming calmer once again.

"Not with a sore ass you won't."

"If I said no then you would stop anyway, you wouldn't hurt me." Roxas stuck out his tongue.

"You underestimate my powers of seduction. I can make to where you can't say no." Axel smirked at him.

"Powers? Yeah, right."

"Oooh, you don't believe me? Why don't you get back in the bed so I can prove you wrong?"

"You just pushed me out of it, why would I want to get back in it now?" Roxas put the alarm clock back on his nightstand and bent down to pick up his boxers, keeping his head turned away so Axel couldn't see the faces he made from the pain he felt, and then stuck his nose up in the air. "I'm going to go take a shower." He stated in a snooty 'I-don't-care' fashion and marched out of the bedroom towards the bathroom.

Pride swelled in Roxas' chest as he basked in his supposed victory as he went to the bathroom, leaving Axel in the bedroom to deal with the last set of the clock's alarms as he closed the door behind him and locked it. He wasn't even three steps into the tiled room when he felt a pair of arms grab him around the waist. _Oh….right…he can fucking teleport._

"You really didn't think that could keep me out, did you?" Axel sneered as he gripped Roxas tightly, making the blonde aware of the fact that the Preta was still completely nude. "I thought you knew better than that by now."

"Let go of me so I can take a shower." Roxas protested as he tugged at Axel's large hands to try to break free, but he didn't budge. "And would it kill you to put some pants on?"

"What's the point in wearing pants if no one can see me?"

"But I can see you!"

"All the more reason to not wear pants."

"Why do I even try?" Roxas shook his head and held his forehead in his palm.

"You make it way too easy for me." Axel chuckled as he tightened his grip to make the restraining embrace change into a hug. As Axel craned his head downward to rest his chin on Roxas' shoulder and laid their cheeks together, Roxas had a weird feeling. In the span of their relationships, Axel had found many ways to put him off (whether he was previously faking it or not), but he had not once tried to make Roxas late for school or try to convince him not to go. Axel never delved too far into changing around Roxas' daily routine during the week, most likely to keep everything appearing normal to the outside world so no one would notice too much a change while he had a hair-eating demon following him around. But today it seemed like Axel wanted to be selfish and keep him home. Sora would be waiting on him so they could leave to walk to school… so staying wasn't an option. Couldn't Axel just wait until the weekend?

But there was a warm vibration that seemed to pulse from the skin contact as Axel had hugged him, so Roxas didn't immediately shoo the redhead away when he kissed his cheek. A small part of him wanted to relent and give in, but he knew better. In hopes to compensate for the Preta's disappointment, Roxas turned his head and kissed Axel sweetly, catching the redhead by surprise, and even more so when Roxas pulled away and completed the cute gesture with an equally cute smile.

"Can I take a shower now?" Roxas asked with a hint of innocence that made Axel want to just squeeze the life out of him.

"You're making it really difficult for me to find the strength to let go." Axel said with a perked brow.

"How about this, then – if you don't let me take a shower, you won't get fed. I can't really give you what you need without a shower." That definitely caught Axel's attention, his eyes lighting up with comprehension. And so, like every other time it came to Axel's attention that he was about to be fed, he became more agreeable and compliant, all thanks to his empty stomach's vice-grip control on the Preta's constitution. His arms dropped from the teen's waist like deadweights and stood upright, grumbling curses to himself as he was forced to leave the small bathroom and retreat to the bedroom. Oh, he'd get Roxas back. But since food had been mentioned, he had no choice but to submit, at least for now.

The first order of business once Axel went back into the bedroom was to get his coat on – he hadn't thought about the fact that he wasn't wearing it until he saw it bundled up on the floor. He had early morning grogginess and potential morning-after sex to blame for that. Come to think of it, morning-after sex didn't seem like such a bad idea… but Roxas was already in the shower and school would start in a couple of hours. He doubted that Roxas would be up for it…then again, Axel knew that he could be very persuasive. Pretas are known to go to any length to acquire whatever it is they hunger for, and for some, sex is the answer; especially if what they hunger for is lustful in nature. As a result, Pretas can tap into an energy that allows them to easily seduce their victims and persuade them to give them what they need. Up to this point in time, Axel has been suppressing much of that magic. He didn't want to make Roxas do something if he consciously didn't want to. However, he can't completely contain the energy, so a small amount of it leaks out whenever he is aroused but only enough so that it made Roxas more relaxed than nervous, and it had definitely helped the night before.

But today is a different day; a day where unknown danger awaits the both of them. And Axel wasn't sure if he wanted to risk other innocent humans being caught in the crossfire if the hammer came down while Roxas was at school. If there was a way that Roxas would stay at home, then Axel could easily be able to lead him to a safe place once the anticipated time had come without too much resistance. This was an opportunity for Axel to use his magic against Roxas for the first time, and despite the fact that it would most likely be the best for him, he couldn't find it in his already aching heart to do something like that to his lover. Roxas wouldn't know what Axel was doing to him unless the redhead told him, but the guilt would likely plague him.

He played with the idea back and forth in his head as he pulled his leather coat over his shoulders and zipped it up, and found his gloves and put them on as well. He glanced down to his pants lying on the floor, debating whether or not to put them on. He became distracted for a moment when he heard a door open from the hall, and through the partially open door of Roxas' room he watched Roxas' younger brother Sora walk out of his bedroom already dressed and ready for school, yawning loudly as he shut his door and started walking down the hall towards the stairs to go downstairs and wait for Roxas to finish getting ready.

"Hmm…" Axel brought his hand to his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully as he pondered over a newly thought-up plan. Acidic eyes cut to the alarm clock still laying on the bed, which dutifully stated to him that four minutes had passed since he had left the room to follow Roxas into the bathroom, and the boy had only turned on the water moments ago, judging from the faint hum of the house's water pipes buzzing through the walls. If everything went according to plan, he could easily have the rest of Roxas' family out of the house before Roxas made it out of the shower.

With a smug smirk on his face, Axel snapped his fingers, instantly bursting into flames. It was only momentary and did not pose harm to anything surrounding him, for it was just an effect of his magic that he was putting to work at the moment. Only a handful of seconds passed and then the fire dissipated, leaving behind a perfect replica of the tawny haired Roxas Grimm standing where a tall and lanky Preta had once been standing. The imposter looked over himself once by eye, then turned around to approach the mirror that was sitting atop the large white chest-of-drawers in Roxas' bedroom. He leaned in close, inspecting everything, right down to the eye color, and gave a hum of satisfaction.

"Not bad." Axel mused at his handiwork, a hand reaching up to scruff up his now shorter and more blonde-colored hair. Axel took note that he had replicated himself to be wearing the clothing he had last seen Roxas wearing the night before, which was his standard t-shirt and athletic baggy shorts that he usually wore in the evenings for comfort. After making his hair seem a little more disheveled than usual, he turned his attention towards looking for a spare blanket – at least until his keen eye took notice in a lone blonde hair in between his index and middle finger on his left hand from all of his tousling. His instinctive reaction was to immediately eat it, but he quickly stopped himself. It wasn't really Roxas' hair, but his own, and he had learned early on from a series of desperate attempts that he could not eat his own hair. His stomach had a specific taste for human hair, so his own wouldn't cut it, so if he tried to eat it, it would either turn to dust in his mouth or make him choke, and those were not fun experiences. Frowning, he let the hair fall from his fingers to the ground, watching it all the while with a pained expression. But that didn't last long, for there was work to be done.

Thinking fast, he went over to the closet and threw it open, grabbing the first spare blanket he could find and pulled it over his shoulders. With a sense of smug confidence, the Roxas look-alike left the bedroom and headed for the staircase. Axel was completely fine until he went down two steps and suddenly froze, his smirk quickly fading to a look of uncertainty. Well… it seemed like a good idea a few minutes ago, at least until Axel remembered that there was a fifty/fifty chance of Roxas' huge dogs being downstairs. Not only would being around the canines make Axel feel uneasy and risk being out of character, but those dogs would know right away that he was an imposter and they might try to attack him. A lump started to form in his throat as he contemplated his next move, trying to swallow it back down.

_Come on…you can do this,_ it was becoming a very sad sight indeed, for a powerful supernatural demon to have to give himself a personal pep-talk in order to face a couple of dogs that even if they did attack him, they wouldn't be able to kill him or harm him too severely. But Axel just couldn't shake the memories. Taking a deep breath, he continued going down the stairs, trying to look as calm as possible though every muscle was tense and rigid, ready to bolt the second he saw one of the dogs coming around the corner.

He reached the bottom of the stairs, and so far there was no sight of the dogs, which brought Axel a small amount of relief. He could hear the muffled voices of what sounded like Sora and Tifa coming from the kitchen. His focus returning to his mission, he pulled the blanket a little tighter around his shorter form and readied himself for the charade that was about to begin. His plan was to earn Roxas a sick day from school. The Preta readied himself to look as pale and sickly as possible to make his act convincing. He only hoped that Tifa wasn't the kind to make her children tough out sickness unless they were vomiting blood.

"Good morning, sweetie." Tifa greeted her eldest son as she stood at the kitchen sink after seeing him out of the corner of her eye, cleaning up dishes that had been dirtied from preparing breakfast. Sora sat at the bar, shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth greedily as a second plate sat beside him full of eggs, bacon and two biscuits that had been prepared for Roxas. When Sora became aware of the blonde's presence, he looked over his shoulder and looked as though he was about to greet his brother, but his expression became sour as it came to his attention that Roxas was not even close to being ready for school.

"What the heck, Roxas? Why aren't you dressed yet? You're gonna make us late!" Sora complained loudly.

"Good morning to you, too." Axel hissed bitterly, perfectly mimicking Roxas' voice while he narrowed his eyes at the brunette, trying to reflect Roxas' early morning grumpiness.

"Sora," Tifa sent the youngest a warning look before she turned around to get a better look at what was causing the commotion. Her expression immediately softened to that of concern as she took in the blonde's pathetic appearance, his face as pale as a sheet and looking feverish, his eyes lacking their usual healthy luster as they looked back solemnly at her. It even looked like he had dark circles under his eyes. Shaking her wet hands over the sink, she picked up a hand towel to dry her hands as she approached her sick-looking son. "Are you feeling okay, honey?"

"Dunno." Axel shrugged, sighing a little. "My stomach hurts. I think I've got a fever, too."

"Let me see." Tifa brought a newly dry hand to 'Roxas'' forehead and became even more crestfallen. "That's a fever, all right. You're burning up."

"Hmm." The imposter just closed his eyes, silently applauding his ability to regulate his own body heat.

"Sora, it looks like you'll have to take the bus today. There's no way Roxas is going to school today with a fever like this." Tifa shook her head as she walked away from her supposedly sickly child and went to the counter to pull her wallet out of her purse to give Sora enough money for a bus fare. "I wonder if I should call the office and stay home today…" She added as an afterthought.

"Um, no," Axel's eyes opened wide, hoping that he could convince Tifa otherwise. His plan wasn't going to work if she was still at home! "Mom, I'll be fine, really. I just want to get some more sleep."

"I know honey, but if you've got a fever then I want to be able to keep an eye on you to make sure you're okay." She kept talking to him as she handed Sora a couple of dollar bills.

"Seriously," Axel's tone was firmer. "I can take care of myself. If it bothers you that much I can just call you if I feel like I'm getting worse. I don't want to make you miss work."

"You are just like your father," Tifa huffed as she shook her head. "You'll argue with me no matter what I say." Axel didn't really know what to say to that. He wasn't sure what Roxas would say to that either, so he just held his ground with eye contact. Finally, Tifa sighed. "All right, fine. But you better keep the house phone within arm's reach." She grabbed the wireless phone off the kitchen counter and handed it to Axel. "If anything changes, I want to know as soon as possible, understand?"

"Oka- I mean, yes ma'am." Axel almost forgot how courteous Roxas was towards his parents and other adults, using the common Southern formality 'sir' and 'ma'am.'

"I'm serious now," Tifa continued to dog on him. "When I say call me when anything changes, I mean it. If you start throwing up or feeling worse, I want to know about it, then I'll be back here faster than you can say 'peanut butter breakdown.'"

"Yes ma'am." Axel did his best not to roll his eyes as he took the phone. He wasn't used to being mothered like this. He couldn't even remember a time where his own mother had been this way with him. He was sure she had been, but he couldn't clearly remember a specific situation because it had happen so long ago. He was used to being in the parent's seat of power, so being talked down to like this was irritating.

"Now go to the medicine cabinet in my bathroom and take some Pepto if your stomach hurts, then some Tylenol for that fever and get some rest." She instructed him.

"Yes ma'am." Axel repeated for a third time as he walked out of the kitchen, trying to look too tired to continue with the conversation and hoped that Tifa wouldn't follow him to make sure he took the medicine.

It took a few minutes to try to figure out where Roxas' parent's room was because Axel had rarely roamed on the first floor of the house because of Rocket and Shelby, but once he did he made quick work of dispatching of the medication by pouring a small amount of Pepto down the drain and then tossing two red and light blue capped pills of Tylenol into the trash. It was probably an unnecessary task, but Axel wanted to be thorough. He didn't realize until he had left the bathroom that he had left the phone at the sink, but he figured that it wouldn't do him much good if he kept it on his person anyway. He made sure not to let up on his act as he walked back towards the staircase in the event that Tifa or Sora happened to pass by him. He figured that Roxas' father Cloud was already gone, seeing as he hadn't seen him around. In matter of minutes, Tifa and Sora would be gone, too. He waited until he was safely halfway up the stairs before cracking a victory grin. He had completed is task flawlessly.

Axel was too busy musing to himself how greatly he had posed as Roxas when he reached the top of his stairs to notice that the water wasn't running anymore. As if fate had planned it down to the very second, Axel rounded the corner while still maintaining his disguise when the bathroom door opened.

"Uh oh." Axel expressed his thoughts aloud as he took a defensive step backwards, the blanket that had been around his shoulders falling to the floor. If the sound of a surprised whisper didn't catch a towel-clad Roxas' attention, the sound of a bulky blanket hitting the floor sure did. Axel was ready to dive back around the corner, but as soon as true blue eyes connected with phony ones, he knew his fate was sealed.

At first, Roxas couldn't believe what he was looking at. With one hand holding the white towel around his waist in place and holding a wad of his own hair, he used the other one to rub his eyes to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him through small water droplets that had collected on his eyelashes. Much to his chagrin, he wasn't seeing things – he was definitely looking at himself standing by the staircase, wearing the clothes he had worn the night before. His mind and body didn't know whether to respond to this with fear, curiosity, or anger, looking completely astonished as his mouth tried to form words, but no sound would come to his moving lips and left him standing there like a sputtering fish.

"Heh heh…um…hey Roxas." Axel dropped the sound of Roxas' voice to resume using his own as he ran his fingers through his hair nervously, sounding completely embarrassed. Hearing Axel's voice made the gears start to turn in Roxas' head, his constantly shifting facial expression settling on an angry glare that seemed to burn Axel's flesh and peer into the depths of his soul. It was pretty clear that Roxas was thoroughly pissed.

"…What the fuck are you doing?" Roxas growled, his words finally finding their way to express himself.

"You know, they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery." The disguised Preta replied hopefully.

"Do I look like I'm flattered?"

"Not particularly."

"What did you do?"

"What makes you think I did anything?"

"I can think of two reasons why you'd make yourself look like me. One, you're causing trouble, or two, you've got really weird masturbation habits."

"Oooh, I haven't thought about that." Axel perked as he tapped his temple thoughtfully. "Good idea. Keep that in mind for next time." Even through the dim light in the hallway Axel could see Roxas' face turn red, but from anger or embarrassment he couldn't tell.

"Just get in my room before I start flipping out." Roxas shook his head as he pointed a demanding finger towards his bedroom. Axel snickered as he snatched up the blanket from the ground and started walking down the hall, then paused when he was only a few steps in front of Roxas. With a sleazy grin he started walking again, but this time he mocked the frazzled blonde by walking with embellished sways of his hips.

"That's not funny." Roxas said as he followed behind his fake twin. Axel only snickered and kept walking in that manner until they were both back safely in Roxas' bedroom.

"I don't know why you're so bent out of shape," Axel said as he dumped the blanket onto the floor unceremoniously. "I think I did a good job of copying you, don't you think?"

"That's what freaking me out the most." Roxas pushed past his look-alike and threw his towel and a loose hairball onto the bed. Roxas didn't even have to say anything to Axel before the Preta practically tackled him while trying to get to the bed and snatched up the hair that Roxas had dropped. Roxas turned away, not really wanting to watch him eat it and went over to his dresser to get something to wear for the day. "Can you please change back? It's kinda weird with you walking around looking like that."

But Axel didn't hear him, mainly because his undivided attention was on his brand new meal. He sat cross-legged on the bed with his back facing the naked Roxas (which he couldn't fully appreciate at the current moment) and quietly started to feed himself. It made Roxas feel a little guilty that he refused to watch Axel eat when Axel always had to sit there and watch him eat whatever he was eating for lunch at school. It didn't seem fair to him. But the whole idea of watching someone eat hair wasn't a very appealing thought. He always hoped that Axel wasn't offended by it.

If it weren't for the fact that Axel was so hungry, he would have waited until Roxas went back to the bathroom or something to eat. But sometimes his self control isn't strong enough and his stomach gets the better of him, forcing him to sit right where he is and eat it on the spot, just like he was doing now. Eating hair openly had never bothered him before, but since he had been with Roxas, he became more self-conscious of his punishment and tried to do it privately. Axel sometimes felt like it was barbaric, exposing him for the monster or demon he really was. But he had no choice or say in the matter.

As Roxas put on a black t-shirt after putting on a pair of clean boxers, he heard Axel sigh from behind him and nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw his doppelganger combust into flames while sitting on is bed. The blonde was worried that Axel would set his bed on fire, but he didn't have the time to freak out about it because the flames disappeared as quickly as they had appeared and left Axel behind in his normal spiky red haired form.

"Sorry about that." Axel mumbled an apology as he turned his head slightly, but not enough to be able to look at Roxas. Shame radiated off of Axel like a putrid odor, and the anger Roxas had previously felt turned into guilt. He set his pants on top of the dresser and slid onto the bed behind the sulking Preta, curling his arms around Axel's neck.

"It's okay. I know you couldn't help it." The understanding teen said as he laid his head on the back of Axel's and gave him a reassuring hug. Axel smiled slightly and laid his right hand over Roxas', gloved fingers stroking the newly washed tan skin of the back of Roxas' hand. He felt the back of his head become a little damp from Roxas' wet hair against his while the strong scent of Roxas' Axe body wash filled his nose.

"I think I want to kidnap you today." Axel said, not moving his head and just relishing in the closeness.

"I'm guessing you pretending to be me earlier has something to do with it?" Roxas asked.

"Yeah. Long story short, you're out on a sick day."

"You went downstairs?"

"Yeah."

"Rocket and Shelby didn't bother you, did they?"

"I don't think they were inside. They weren't around when I went down."

"Dad probably let them out when he left for work. Did Mom and Sora leave already?"

"Dunno, but they probably will soon." Axel's smile got a little wider as he took Roxas' hand in his and pulled it out of the embrace around his neck and held it delicately in his hand, his longer fingers toying with Roxas' smaller ones. "You don't mind me stealing you away for a bit, do you?"

"Seeing as you've already put it all into place, I can't really say no." Roxas shrugged his shoulders as he moved to perch his head on Axel's shoulder to look at what he was doing with his hand. Axel just leaned his head into Roxas', thinking that a kiss just then wouldn't be really appropriate since he had just eaten. "What do you have in mind?"

"Maybe the park or the clock tower."

"Let's go to the clock tower. We haven't gone there in a while."

"The tower it is, then."

"So, what exactly did you do downstairs?"

"I just played the 'feverish too sick to go to school' card. It wasn't that hard. I did have to give your mom an extra push so she would be fine with leaving you here alone."

"She worries like that a lot. What did she say?"

"She got irritated and said you were like your Dad or something like that."

"She tells me that all the time." Roxas rolled his eyes. "If you got her to say that, you must have done a good job acting like me."

"I've only been stalking your for two, almost three months now." Axel chuckled. "I know how you are. Oh, she also said that she wanted you to have the house phone nearby if you got worse," He paused as he switched up his voice to sound like Tifa. "then I'll be back faster than you can say 'peanut butter breakdown.'"

"…That was…kind of creepy." Roxas made a face of disgust after hearing his mother's voice come out of Axel's mouth. "I'm gonna have to ask you not to do that again."

"Aw, but it's fun." Axel pouted, but this time he spoke using Roxas' own voice.

"That's even weirder!" Roxas withdrew his hand out of Axel's grasp and tried to jump off the bed, but Axel quickly turned around and grabbed the fleeing blonde by the arm and yanked him back, giggling evilly in Roxas' voice.

"Hey! Let go!" Roxas laughed as he tugged at his arm and tried repeatedly kicking Axel's leg with his feet.

"Nope." The Preta wasn't phased by Roxas' attacks in the slightest. He pushed the blonde back with enough force to make him fall back into the bed and promptly climbed on top if him, pinning Roxas beneath him.

"Ew! Didn't I ask you to put some pants on? !" Roxas was completely caught off guard when it came to his attention that Axel still wasn't wearing any pants beneath his coat when he felt Axel's bare manhood on him when the redhead sat on him.

"Huh. Whaddya know," Axel looked down towards his groin, though most of it was concealed under his coat. "I guess I forgot to put them on after all."

"Please stop using my voice, it's really weird." Roxas insisted, trying not to sound like he was begging.

"I'm sorry." Axel finally conceded, tousling the blonde's damp wet hair as he chuckled. "You know I'm just teasing."

"In more ways than one. Put some pants on." Roxas didn't meet Axel's gaze, his cheeks starting to darken with a blush as he spoke the last demand in a near whisper. The Preta didn't respond right away, he just sat there and watched Roxas' face slowly turn redder and redder as he waited for the demon to comply, because trying to fight him off was completely out of the question. He was aware of the strength that Axel was capable of. He figured that Axel knew the reason why he was asking him to get off, because if things continued the way they were, it might lead to some more rolling around in the sheets. Roxas wouldn't have a problem with that if it wasn't for the fact that his ass was hurting like nobody's business and he didn't think he'd be able to stand another round without being in a lot of pain. He was way too modest to ask his redheaded friend if he would bottom. If anything, Axel would just laugh at him.

Luckily, Axel took the hint and crawled back until he was out of the bed and turned around to search for his pants. Yet once he felt Axel's weight and heat leave him, he was starting to second-guess himself. As he propped himself up on his elbows and watched the Preta shuffle around to get his pants, he was tempted to change his mind.

"Heh," Axel smiled as he picked up his pants off the floor. "If it wasn't for the fact that you're in pain, I would have just taken you again anyway with that blush you had on your face." He started to step into the black-colored jeans.

"What makes you think I'm in pain?" Roxas questioned, still fighting with himself in his head.

"Because I'm not insensitive enough to think that you're completely okay the morning after losing your butt virginity. It's gonna sting for a day or so and be uncomfortable. After that it gets a little easier to cope with. I honestly probably shouldn't have straddled you like that. Be glad you were on a soft bed when I did that."

"You talk like you've had to deal with it yourself." Axel was in the middle of buttoning his pants when he gave Roxas a look that said 'You're-seriously-asking-me-that? What-do-you-think?'

"I'd rather not talk about previous sexual endeavors." Axel shook his head a little. "Not because I don't want you to know or be secretive about it, if that's what you're worried about. I just don't think it's fair for me to talk about someone else with someone I just slept with. If that makes any sense."

"I wasn't asking for a history." Roxas laughed a little as he scooted forward to sit on the edge of the bed. "I'm just curious…"

"You're always 'just curious.'" Axel's smile grew wider as he came back to sit down beside Roxas on the side of the bed, poking his forehead. "Always inquiring and wanting to know the answer to everything. Don't you have any faith?"

"I like to learn new things. I like to know what I'm doing, where I'm going and what's going on. It's not that I don't have any faith, I just like to have a level head."

"You just don't like surprises."

"I didn't say that. I like surprises. Just not surprises that completely change my routine or my lifestyle."

"So you hate change."

"Yeah, I guess that's one way to put it."

"That's not necessarily a good thing, you know. Life is always changing, there's no way you can keep it from doing so."

"I know life changes." Roxas shrugged, his eyes starting to stray towards his backpack that was lying haphazardly on the floor among scattered textbooks and papers close to their feet. He happened upon the cover of an American History textbook, looking at it for a few minutes before talking again. "I guess that's one of the reasons why I like history so much. It's something that can't change. It has already happened and exists to educate the present and make sure mistakes don't happen again."

"How philosophical."

"Did you ever have a favorite subject when you were in school?" Roxas asked, looking back up at the Preta. He didn't like the uncertain look that reflected in Axel's eyes and wondered if he shouldn't have asked.

"Honestly," Axel said as he scratched the back of his head, the dampness from Roxas' hair seeping down to his scalp and making it feel itchy. "I dropped out of school when I was a kid. So I can't really give you a highly educated answer. But I think I recall having an interest in literature. If you consider children's books literature, I guess." He added with a chuckle.

"How early did you drop out?" With the Preta talking about children's books, he made it sound like he left in elementary school.

"The school system in Germany is different than the United States. There are thirteen grades instead of twelve and they split up into different categories at a certain age. But in US school terms, I would have to say I left school somewhere around middle school."

"Why did you drop out?" Axel didn't seem to keen on answering that question. His brows scrunched together as he propped elbow on his knee, his hand holding up his jaw as he became contemplative. Roxas became irritated, upset that even now Axel was still reluctant to divulge details on his personal life. As the quietness stretched for almost a full minute, Roxas sighed and pushed himself to his feet on his knees and decided to abandon the empty conversation for the sake of putting on his pants. He could see his angered and hurt expression in his own reflection in the mirror on his dresser, but he wasn't expecting Axel to grab his wrist and stop him from proceeding forward.

"Hey." The greeting was used more so to get the blonde's attention, and it gave him the desired result as Roxas looked down at him questioningly. Axel could see the pained look on his face, and for a moment, he felt like everything froze. Demyx's past words of encouragement to Axel to share his burden was haunting him in the depths of his mind, a ghost of a memory like his old friend. Fear reared it's head at the thought, and Axel felt that all too familiar terror at the thought of exposing himself for all it was worth. He felt his throat tighten, words that he wanted to say freezing in his head as the horrifying images flooded into his mental vision, and Axel found himself at a loss for words.

He fought this fear, fighting it as it threatened to swallow him up inside so he could find the strength and courage to put these feelings into words. Talking about himself was something he had never tried before, something he had always tried to run away from. It was childish really, the instinct to run away from one's problems and try to bury them in the sands of time to hopefully forget about them entirely, but finding out that it only made the problem worse as it sank it's roots deep into the depths of his psyche – never dying and always present.

"Axel?" Roxas' words at least cleared his vision and brought it back to reality, though his mind was still racing a mile a minute. Looking into Roxas' concerned blue eyes didn't seem to help that much, either. _Would he judge me? Would he look down on me? I've put myself out to be mentally strong and proud to him, what if it changes the way he looks at me entirely? Or worse… what if it changed the way he felt about me?_

Right now was not a good time to be zoned out like this, with danger lurking somewhere in the shadows and waiting to strike at him. As much as Axel wanted to keep his burdens locked away, he knew it must be done. Today might be his last day, and he couldn't let this burden die with him, if death was his fate. He had to let go of this now. His spirit needed to leave behind the legacy that it didn't get the chance to sixty years ago. His name had been erased from the records of time, his body mutilated beyond recognition and denied a proper resting place, so his story has remained unspoken for the world's aged ear. It was time to change that.

"…That's part of the reason why I wanted to kidnap you today." Axel's voice broke free from its prison after reaching his revelation; his meek and mild tone quite unsuitable for himself.

"Are you okay?" Roxas was starting to get nervous from the way Axel spoke. Did he sound…scared?

"I'm fine." Axel's fingers slipped through Roxas' palms to favor holding the teen's hand instead of clenching his wrist, curling the long digits between the spaces between Roxas' fingers that unquestioningly welcomed his hand's embrace. The redhead gave a gentle tug, Roxas' feet posing no resistance as he was led into the space between Axel's legs. The Preta let go of his hand, but only to wrap his long arms around his waist and pull him close and lay his face into Roxas' chest. He took in a sharp inhale of Roxas' familiar scent as he closed his eyes, allowing the fear and nervousness to grip him fully instead of trying to fight it.

The familiar warmth in Axel's embrace was gone. No soothing heat radiated from him and poured into Roxas like it had always done in the past. Uncomprehending hands slowly reached up and touched the sides of Axel's face, and Roxas couldn't help but give a silent gasp. Axel's skin was cold to the touch, not cold enough to be considered deathly, but it was a significant drop to what Roxas was used to from the demon. It spoke to Roxas on several different levels, and he understood. Axel had never been one to express his emotions very well by mouth, but Roxas could hear him loud and clear through the silence, the cold, and the tight embrace. The Preta was silently pleading for his support.

_No, you're not fine_. Roxas' heart sank to see Axel broken like this. Axel, his friend who had stuck by his side since their first encounter and gave him advice, support, and praise whenever he needed it. He had always been there for him. Now it was time for him to give it all back. Roxas encircled his arms around Axel's neck, one curling firmly around his neck as the other's hand threaded itself through wild crimson-colored hair and nuzzled his face into the top of Axel's head. He felt Axel tighten his grip around him as an expression of gratitude, to which Roxas responded to petting the top of Axel's head gently.

To feel Roxas hold him like this was like a cool glass of water on a dry mouth. It affected him so much because he had hardly ever been held like this before. It was he who was always offering his protective arms for support to those who needed them, bringing security to those who needed it as he swallowed his own fears and doubts. He was always there to hold, but there was never anyone there to hold him. Leon had been there, yes, but in the long run Axel had come to accept the fact that their relationship was based solely on the fear of being alone, a fear that they both shared – a relationship driven by infatuation and in some aspects, lust. He held Leon just as much as Leon had held him, but never had he felt reassured. Roxas was completely different. It was exhilarating, reassuring, and wonderful all at the same time to know that there was someone that was willing to acknowledge his needs, even if he did try to recluse from being the victim. He had feared that being this way would disgust Roxas or make him lose faith in him, but relief nearly swept him away when he came to find that the kindhearted teen was willing to be his own source of support.

With so many different emotions ravaging within him, Axel almost felt like crying, but he wouldn't dare allow himself to do so. Instead, he tilted his head upward to look at Roxas' face, the blonde catching the movement and their eyes meeting. Axel's breath was hesitant, but he fought internally for control over the sound of his voice as he smiled up at his lover sincerely when he saw Roxas smile down at him.

"You were saying?" Roxas said softly, offering a push in the right direction. Axel latched onto it immediately.

"I said I wanted to have you to myself today," Axel finally spoke, one of his palms stroking up and down Roxas' back. "Because I think it's time that you got to hear my story."

Roxas' eyes lit up, unable to believe what he had heard. The hand that was on top of Axel's head slid back and down his head to rest on the back of the redhead's neck as he leaned down and kissed him.

"I can't think of any other topic in history I want to know the most about than yours."

* * *

_***- Pretty much 'Go to Hell.' Roxas figured it was some kind of insult anyway.**_


	34. The Smoking Gun

**_A/N: Okay, so I'm not really going to sit here and repeatedly apologize for how late this is…I had stressful finals for college and an equally stressful break at home, so I hardly had much time to write this. I also apologize that it isn't as long as I promised, but it's the normal length and I don't want to keep you guys waiting any longer. Just a lot of real life issues that isn't really anyone's business so I wont waste your time talking about them, mmmk? owo_**

* * *

Axel didn't immediately start pouring out his gut just yet. Roxas still had to get his pants on and insisted that he at least clean up the papers and textbooks and put them back in his backpack before they would depart to the clock tower. Axel didn't mind the distraction, mostly because he had to give himself time to mentally prepare. So until Roxas asked him nicely to move so he could make the bed, Axel sat on the bed cross-legged with his elbows propped up on his knees and held his jaw in his hands, keeping his line of vision particularly low. After Roxas stepped out of the room to make sure his mother and Sora were gone, he came back into his room to see Axel now standing, his arms crossed at his chest as with that pensive look on his face. Axel heard the hardwood floor creak as Roxas re-entered the room and perked up somewhat.

"Ready?" Axel asked as he extended his hand towards the blonde invitingly.

"Yeah." Roxas nodded as he walked up and took Axel's gloved hand in his and the two of them became engulfed in shadows as Axel used the fastest means of transportation to get them to their destination. By now, Roxas was used to the abrupt change in scenery that came with hitching a ride in one of Axel's portals so he wasn't startled when he went from the second story of his house to several hundred feet in the air at the top of the city's clock tower. A troupe of pigeons that had been socializing on the railing scattered in a flurry of squawks and feathers when Axel and Roxas appeared and disappeared into the light blue morning sky. Roxas had usually been here at sunset, so to be here during the actual daytime was a new experience. He only hoped his mom wouldn't try to come back home unannounced to check on him anyway and find that he wasn't there. He had no idea what his excuse would be for that one.

Axel let go of Roxas' hand and instead of sitting on top of the stone railing like they usually did, the Preta sat down in the walkway with his back against the small railing, mostly because the sun was right in front of them and it would be an annoyance to sit on the railing with the sun in their eyes. Axel tilted his head to the side to indicate for Roxas to come sit beside him, and the teen did so without question. Once the two of them got comfortable, Roxas heard Axel sigh as he combed his bright red hair with his gloved fingers, his habit that exposed his anxiety when words couldn't.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Roxas said as he leaned into Axel's shoulder.

"Yeah," Axel's tone was irritable, but it was directed at himself. "Just…um…give me a minute. It's not something easy to talk about."

"Take as long as you need. It's not like I'll be going anywhere anytime soon." Roxas smiled. "We've got all day. You kidnapped me, remember?"

"Yeah, right." Axel chuckled nervously. Roxas _thought_ they had all day. Axel wasn't so sure. For all he knew, the Organization was watching him right now, waiting for the perfect time to strike. He hoped that they would at least wait until this emotional ordeal was over.

They became quiet, only the sounds of the busy city streets below and the occasional call of birds flying overhead filling the air around them. It was mostly Axel's fault for drawing out the silence, but Roxas just sat there patiently and waited for Axel to find it within him to speak. But after waiting for a few moments, Roxas made an attempt to help the troubled Preta along before it became painfully awkward.

"So…" Roxas started nonchalantly as his fingers played with one of the buttons on his jean's front pockets idly. "You say you're sixty, right?"

"Yeah." Axel slid his left knee up and propped his arm up on top of his knee, distributing the weight between the two of them equally as Roxas's shoulder leaned into Axel's and vice versa.

"Assuming that my basic math skills don't completely suck, that means you were… I'll just say 'born' because I can't think of a better word to use – around 1950?" The long red spikes of Axel's hair that was draped over his shoulder swished up and down as the demon nodded.

"I'm guessing that Demyx gave you an explanation of what I told him about my past when you talked to him a while ago?"

"All he told me was about your family and the Korean War. At first I accepted it, but then I thought about it and looked into the war in my textbook and found out that the Korean War started in 1950, it wasn't already occurring. If 1950 is when you came into existence, then that doesn't make any sense because it hadn't even started yet. So you either lied or Demyx didn't know what he was talking about."

"Wow, you sure know your stuff." Axel chuckled.

"I like history." Roxas stated the redundant with a shrug.

"Well you are correct, my friend." He patted the top of his knee. "It's all just a pile of horse shit. Except for my sister. The rest of it was a croc of crap."

"Then who is the real Axel Daecher?" Roxas gave him a nudge in the shoulder. A faint-hearted smile managed to crack the corner of Axel's face as he gave a bitter chuckle.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to know?"

"Of course."

"Even if it means you might changes your perception of me?" The smile that had been on Roxas' face started to fade after he heard that ominous question.

"I think I can handle whatever you throw at me."

"I sure hope so." Axel put his palm on his forehead, taking in a long inhale of breath as he steadied his tone of voice. "Because it's not every day in this day and age that you get to meet a Holocaust victim."

"…Was that a joke?" Roxas asked cautiously. Axel seemed like the kind of person that would try to slip humor into a tough situation, but there wasn't really a nice way to joke about something as grim and ugly as the Holocaust. Would Axel honestly stoop that low? Large, questioning blue eyes latched onto the redhead before him, waiting for an answer. The Preta slowly turned his head to the side to look at Roxas out of the corner of his eye, thin lips drawn into a line as acidic green eyes looked back at him solemnly. Eyes that laughed and teased, eyes that understood and sympathized now seemed bruised, battered and bleeding with silent screams that Roxas had only seen reflected in the dead, hopeless eyes of starving African villagers in documentaries and chain emails, and individuals who had simply lost their entire faith in living life itself.

"I wish it was." All at once, the missing pieces to the mystery to Axel's past fell into place in Roxas' head, and suddenly everything made sense. Every cautious quirk, his scars, his nearly unnaturally thin body, everything that had stood out to him in the past all pointed in one direction at the same time. It felt like déjà vu as Roxas stared at him, remembering how haunting Axel's appearance had been when the Preta truly threatened him shortly after meeting him and how it had given him a bad case of chills. A veil was being lifted from Roxas' rose-tinted glasses and he watched as the appearance of the demon before seemed to shrivel up like a raisin and the unsettling truth sprang forward – his face sunken with cheekbones jutting forward and sunken eyes encircled with dark bags, his overall appearance unhealthy, pallid, and distressing. Just imagining Axel in that position, suffering with the thousands of other lives that were tortured and brutally murdered during the infamous genocide was enough to make his head spin.

"…I don't know what I should say to that…the Holocaust?" Roxas was shaking his head all the while he spoke, trying to come to grips with the information that had been given to him.

"The only Holocaust there is, unless there's another one that I don't know about." Out slid the typical Axel sour sarcasm.

"…I'm so sorry," Roxas recoiled from Axel's side, as if touching him would make the sickly demon shatter into a million pieces. "I had no idea…if I knew…"

"Then you would have pitied me." Axel cut him off mid-sentence; though his tone was firm Roxas could see the accusing look in the demon's eyes, questioning him of the truthfulness of his own statement. "You would have felt sorry for me, like any normal human being would, and treat me like a victim."

"Well…" Roxas looked down, shifting uncomfortably in his spot. "Yeah, I guess that's true. In all honesty, if I had known it probably would have made me feel even more guilty and give you my hair when you asked for it the first time."

"That's true." Axel leaned his head back against the wall. "I could have. I also could have done that with everyone else. But why throw away what little dignity I have left and run around crying 'woe is me' about it? It might benefit my cause but it would hurt my pride. You know I can't stand that."

"Mhm." Roxas nodded his head slowly. "Now I see why you didn't want to talk about it. I'm sorry I pushed you so hard about it. We don't have to talk about it anymore."

"Don't do that." Axel was now sounding demanding, and Roxas looked up to see the redhead scowling at him.

"…Don't do what?"

"What you're doing right now. Pitying me." Axel shook his head. "If I didn't want to talk about it I wouldn't have brought it up." Roxas watched as Axel reached into his left front pocket and fish something out of it and place it in the blonde's open palm lying in his lap. His fingers curled around the dirty, cream-colored doll that had fit easily in Axel's palm, but it was almost the size of Roxas' smaller palm.

"What's this?" The curious blonde asked as he inspected the peculiar item that Axel had handed to him.

"A piece of my past." Axel replied. "It originally belonged to the person who reminds me of you. But I passed it down to my sister before she was killed."

"Killed?" Roxas' voice got a little hoarse and quiet and Axel gave a solemn, sagely nod.

"I hope you don't mind sob stories, Roxas, because this is one of those. Wish I could say it wasn't my life, but it was. And you're going to be the first one to hear about it."

* * *

For a while, things were returning to normal. Things were going smoothly for both Leon's family and Axel's, and Axel's bad feeling and heightened awareness around Robert Freish was starting to disappear. That was his first mistake. He didn't pay close attention to the warning signs that started popping up all around him, all because Leon kept telling him that he was worrying too much and that there was absolutely no way that they were going to get caught. Axel grew tired of arguing with Leon about it, so he started to turn his back on his own cautiousness.

It all started several days after Leon and Axel took their relationship a little farther and finally slept together in Axel's apartment. Their original plan was when the time arrived that they would have sex at Leon's because of the much more solitary and safer environment without the risk of neighbors hearing them, but when you're in the heat of the moment things like that can be easily forgotten. Like any man after finally relieving themselves of sexual tension, Axel was in a mellower mood than usual and didn't really worry all that much about it afterwards. In fact, he was so calm that when he passed Robert going down the stairs one afternoon, he didn't even notice the way the snake of the man was glaring at him and just walked right past him.

It wasn't until Axel started seeing Robert more frequently upstairs that he started to get nervous. He hardly ever completed work orders that were put in on the second floor, but now he had a sudden interest in completing them as soon as possible. There were a few instances were Robert even came to Axel's door and asked if there was anything he could do for him, a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, but Axel knew that something sinister was brewing behind those beady eyes of his.

A few more weeks passed, and Robert kept coming upstairs frequently. Axel began to make an effort to go visit Leon more often at his place instead of in his own apartment to be on the safe side. He was sure that Robert wouldn't make himself that blatantly obvious and follow him to the general store. For a while, he didn't.

Then one day after finishing up his usual day of work at the food bank and cleaning Mrs. Guntram's apartment, Axel and Aerith headed towards the general store, partially to pay a visit and partially to purchase groceries and other few necessities they were in need of. The sky was clear and the air was warm, so the duo was enjoying the weather coatless. Aerith kept talking about what kind of ribbon she was going to get for her hair next, since it had become routine that Leon would present Aerith with a choice of any kind of hair ribbon she wanted whenever they stopped by during shop hours. Axel was just about as engaged into the excited conversation as a grown man could be, which wasn't much but was just enough to keep Aerith talking. The little girl had slowly started talking more and more after Axel left the hospital, and now it was as if nothing had ever happened. At night, however, she refused to go to bed without the hallway light on and the door cracked and it annoyed Axel at first, but he learned to just accept it for the sake of Aerith's comfort. She would become nervous when she woke in the morning and Axel wasn't within her immediate vision. This began to pose a problem and Axel realized the overwhelming anxiety issues she had were due to his own actions, and was trying to not be as uptight as before. She was eight years old, after all, with her birthday only a handful of months away so she needed to learn to be more independent.

The bell chimed overhead as they entered the store, but Axel also heard what sounded like someone's voice abruptly becoming silent mid-sentence. The first thing that caught Axel's eye was the surprised look on Leon's face that the brunette was giving Axel as he stood behind the counter, and then he saw the profile of a large man in a brown coat with a black hat, one large had stuffed in the pockets of his coat while the other rested on the counter as he stood on the other side of the counter, looking like the two of them had been engaged in conversation.

"_Cześć_!" Aerith used a Polish greeting that Leon had taught her (partially because Aerith had asked him what he said when he said it to her one day and partially to tick Axel off for fun) with a big smile and waved, walking towards the brunette man until Axel's firm grip on her wrist made her stop short. Frowning, the little girl looked up at her brother- but he wasn't looking at her. Aerith's greeting had caught the attention of the stranger and made their head turn towards them, and once Axel saw those creepy, dark and beady eyes on him he knew exactly who it was.

"Ah, good afternoon Mr. Daecher." Robert's sleazy voice greeted him as he gave a disgusting grin, his fat cheeks indented with what would have been charming dimples if it weren't for his overall grubby appearance. Axel had a greeting of his own, which was a piercing glare that questioned why he was there and what he had been doing before he arrived. Coming to the conclusion that Axel wasn't going to grace him with a verbal response, Robert cleared his throat, maintaining his smile all the while. "Why so sour, my friend? I was only engaging in conversation with the shopkeeper." His hand on the counter slapped the wooden surface twice. "Politics sure does make a great topic of conversation, wouldn't you agree?" Robert's gaze shifted from Axel to Leon with the last of his statement. The shocked look on Leon's face quickly changed to that of annoyance.

"Sure." Leon spat the word bitterly. They were speaking so casually, but the quiet spoke the silent battle that was taking place. Robert had Axel and Leon cornered, and the secret lovers knew it. Their first means of defense was intimidation, which was reflecting through flaming green and blue and tense, rigid shoulders that stared the chubby man down like a pair of enraged bulls. Axel was pretty sure that if it came down to it, he could take Robert down.

"Well then, I believe I might have overstayed my welcome." Robert's arm slid off of the counter and slithered into the other coat pocket and started to walk casually to the exit, which was currently being blocked by an infuriated redhead. "I best be on my way… that is, if you would please step aside."

Axel wanted so desperately to punch Robert in the face, and he made it very evident with clenched teeth, his gaze never leaving those small, black eyes that looked back at him tauntingly as he came closer. His free hand balled into a fist, fingers tightening and releasing as he searched for the strength to keep from following through his intense desire to hit the man. At the last second, Axel conceded and took a step aside, moving out of the doorway. Robert tipped his hat to the taller man before he walked out, the bell's chime seeming a lot more ominous and deafening than before. Axel watched Robert walk down the steps and down the sidewalk as far as the door's window would allow him to.

Movement caught Axel's eye and he looked back towards the counter, where Leon had started wiping down the obviously clean and polished surface with a dirty rag that had been sitting on the end of the counter previously. Leon glanced up at him for an instant, but quickly brought his attention back to the task at hand. Against his better judgment, Axel approached him with a quiet but confused Aerith in tow, gripping her wrist just a little too hard in the process. It wasn't until Axel's shadow casted over the other man's form that Leon finally looked at him again, his scarred face blank of any readable emotion whatsoever. That's when the fear began to sink into the core of Axel's mind.

"…We're in trouble, aren't we?" Axel whispered. Leon just stared at him, his hand still absently wiping the counter. It wasn't until the brunette let out a sigh and turned away to throw the rag into a bin on the floor that he spoke.

"I think you should go home." Leon said blandly. Those were words that Axel didn't want to hear.

"Leon…?" Aerith meeped the man's name quietly, having no idea what was going on. Leon looked at Aerith with distain, his lips slowly sinking into a saddened frown until he shook his head and walked away towards the back of the store, disappearing behind one of the isles. The shuttering noise of the back door opening and closing signaled that Leon had no intention to keep them around.

"Come along, Aerith." Axel's voice was firm and sounded almost angry as he pulled at her wrist to get her to start walking towards the door.

"But…what's wrong? Why is everyone so mad?" She sounded so sad and confused, as if it was somehow her fault that her brother and his best friend weren't talking anymore. She resisted Axel's pull, her feet firm on the ground as she demanded an explanation.

"When I tell you to do something, I don't mean to do it when you feel like it." Axel hissed as he jerked his sister's arm, making her wail as she stumbled forward. "When I say it's time to go, it's time to go, you understand me?"

"Why are you being so mean? !" Aerith cried as she tried to pry Axel's hand open to free herself as she was dragged out the door of the store. Axel, having little patience and the need to go home as soon as possible coursing though him, raised his other hand over his head threateningly as if he were about to strike her. Seeing that made Aerith wince and cease all action, her lower lip quivering violently as she whimpered.

"Don't argue with me." Axel commanded. "You try that again and we'll see how far that takes you." The redhead's blood was already boiling with rage as fear made adrenaline course through his body, so threatening discipline upon her wasn't as heart wrenching as it normally was because he didn't have room to feel such remorse at that moment. All he knew was that they needed to get home. He didn't know what to do after they got to that point, but he was going to worry about that once they got there.

Little did Axel and Aerith know as they briskly walked away from Leon's store that that would be the last day they would ever see Leon Müller alive.

Robert Freish had gone to the store to tell Leon that he knew of his gay affair and tried to blackmail him. At first, Leon was stubborn and tried to call his bluff before resorting to physical threats, but that's when Robert pulled a 6.35 calibre Walther Model 9 semi-automatic pistol out of his coat pocket, a tiny pocket pistol, and had the barrel pointed right at Leon's forehead. He laughed at Leon and told him that it didn't matter whether Leon tried to attack him or intimidate him, the only difference would be how much quicker his death could meet him - now or later on at a concentration camp if he failed to comply to his demands. Leon had no choice but to roll over and let Robert have his way. Reluctantly, the brunette took everything out of his cash register and handed it over to the gunman, who then quickly pocketed the money and the gun once he heard footsteps coming up the stairs outside. He left that day with half of Leon's earnings, and he was planning on getting another large chunk of it the next day after Leon closed up shop.

He came back the next day right after the store closed to find the front door unlocked. Stepping inside, Robert saw Leon behind the counter waiting for him under a veil of darkness with the store lights having been shut off, that sickened look in his eyes and a scowl on his face as Robert approached him as the light of the coming twilight filtered through the windows. Leon stepped out from behind the counter, their eyes locked on one another as they met in the middle, Robert's pistol in hand and a wad of cash in Leon's. Wordlessly, Leon handed over the bundle of money and Robert took it, grinning wildly as he turned around to exit the store while thumbing through his earnings. He stopped short when he realized he had been short-changed.

"This is only half of what you owe me." Robert said bitterly, but just as he went to look over his shoulder he was taken by surprise by how Leon had suddenly gotten so close as the barrel of another pistol pressed into Robert's backside as a firm hand gripped his shoulder.

"You aren't the only one here with a gun." Leon growled ominously as he cocked it, making it click loudly.

"Easy now," Robert's grip tightened slightly on the trigger of his own gun. "You just don't go around threatening people with guns like that, son, unless you got the guts to shoot it." Mere seconds after Robert threw the insult in Leon's face did Leon pointed the gun at a jar of pens on a shelf over the register and fired. Heat shot onto Robert's face as the bullet left the barrel and rocketed towards its target, meeting it flawlessly. The resounding blast and the shriek of shattering glass filled the small store. Leon felt the man give the slightest of flinches under his strong grip, and he couldn't help but smirk with smug satisfaction as he placed the hot barrel of the gun back on Robert's back, the faint cries and terrified voices of passerby's outside placing the two of them on a time limit. Loose pens rolled off of the shelf and fell to the dusty, hardwood floor and sounded like the pitter-patter of large raindrops on a windowsill.

"We have about fifteen minutes until the police arrive." Leon informed him, his demonstration proving to be more useful to him than originally planned. "So you're either going to listen to me and be out of here before they arrive, or I'll tell them that you were attempting to rob my store."

"Looks like I don't have much of a choice, then. You have impressive aim."

"Cut the flattery bullshit unless you want to end up in jail."

"Obliterating a glass jar is one thing. Shooting a man is another story."

"I won't hesitate to fire it to rid Poland of scum like you."

"It takes scum to know scum, doesn't it, faggot?"

"I might be a faggot, but at least I'm more of a man then you'll ever be."

"Getting a little cocky, aren't we?" Robert chuckled evilly. "All right, big shot, what's it gonna take for you to put away that pistol of yours?"

"I know how you play your game." Leon pressed the barrel of the pistol harder into Robert's backside. "You weed out the weak and vulnerable and blackmail them, making them think that you will be true to your word as long as they keep up with your demands. But it isn't the money that satisfies you, isn't it? No, you're a sadist that gets off on the thrill of dominating others, to hold their lives in your very hands. And when it's no fun anymore, you throw them to the dogs like rancid meat."

"What's your point, son?" The way Robert replied so casually made Leon want to shoot him right then and there. But no, he was only going to shoot the man as a last resort. Getting blood on his hands wasn't something Leon wanted unless he absolutely had to in order to keep his brother safe.

"My point is if I tell you to relieve me of my debt, no one suffers but you, so you'll just go running to the Gestapo and turn me and Axel in. Instead, I'm willing to propose a compromise that is beneficial to both of us; more so for you than me, otherwise you wouldn't agree to it."

"I'm listening."

"I give you my entire life's savings, including funds set aside for medical expenses and allow you to turn me over to the Gestapo as long as you ensure my little brother's safety and that he will be taken care of. You'll also leave Axel and his family alone, along with everyone else in that complex."

"How disgustingly tragic," Robert snickered devilishly. "You're willing to give yourself for that do-good Daecher fellow? You never struck me as the self-sacrificing type."

"I'm not doing it because of any feelings I might have for him," Leon snarled. "I'm the one that got him into this mess. I forced this lifestyle on him, so he shouldn't be punished for something that isn't his fault."

"Either way, you better have a pretty penny if you want me to go along with that."

"I came from a very wealthy family. I guarantee that you'll never have to work another day for the rest of your life."

"I am not a patient man, Mr. Müller. I don't want to have to wait another week for the money and have you and Axel flee the country."

"Two steps ahead of you. Look to the shelf on your right." Leon watched as Robert carefully turned his head to the right to see a black medium sized duffle bag sitting on the second to top shelf. "I had a feeling you were onto me and Axel a few weeks back, so I already went ahead and prepared everything for this deal. Inside that bag is everything I promised to you. If you take it, I will personally turn myself in to the Gestapo- or you can turn me in, whichever suits your fancy- and you will be well off for the rest of your life. Just keep your end of the bargain." Leon paused, tightening his grip on Robert's shoulder and keeping his finger steady on the trigger. "So, do we have a deal?"

"I suppose." Robert nodded. "Now, if you'll just put that gun away, I'll claim my bounty and we will discuss the details of your willful indictment tomorrow morning."

"This gun isn't going anywhere until you either put yours away or until you leave. Now walk." Leon gave a forceful shove to Robert's shoulder, making the man take a few staggering steps towards the bag on the shelf, staying close enough behind him that the barrel occasionally brushed against the back of Robert's brown coat. Leon's handgun wasn't as small as a pocket pistol like Robert's, but it was still just as reliable. Its larger size also meant that its bullets were larger, and would pack a harder punch if Leon chose to use it against him.

"I'm going to put my gun back into my pocket." Robert warned him of his actions so it wouldn't appear to the brunette that he was trying to retaliate and result in him shooting him on accident. Leon watched with an attentive eye as Robert carefully lifted up his hand and placed his pistol back into the pocket of his coat. Once Leon was sure that Robert's gun was secure, he finally took a step back and let his own gun rest in his hand at his side. Robert became bolder with the new sense of security and took the duffle bag off of the shelf, giving a huff as he nearly dropped it from underestimating its weight before pulling the strap over his shoulder and hummed in satisfaction.

"Pleasure doing business with you Mr. Müller." Robert said once he turned around and lifted his hat off of his head respectively.

"Don't give me any pleasantries," Leon scowled as he made an indication towards the door with his free hand. "Just get the hell out of my store." Robert only smiled as he placed his hat back on top of his hat and walked out the door of the store with his head held high. Leon sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that Zack was most likely freaking out upstairs from the gunshot. In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea to do that. He had been half hoping that Robert would try to negotiate further and end up stalling until the police got there and use Robert as the scapegoat, but now that the perpetrator had fled into the night, he didn't really know what he would tell the law enforcement when they got there. The thought of turning himself in the next day was a daunting one as well.

He started to walk towards the back of the store to head back upstairs when he heard the door's bell chime again once he was halfway down the aisle, signaling someone's arrival. _Odd, I didn't hear the police sirens_, Leon thought, expecting it to be the police. He couldn't see the door from where he was standing in the middle of the aisle, so he had to walk back towards the front door. Leon's reaction to meet the police face to face was exactly what Robert was counting on.

No sooner did the light filtering from the front door window catch Leon's eye that two shots rang out and Leon was knocked off of his feet by a crushing amount of force and fell back onto the floor, his head hitting the hardwood hard enough that he couldn't tell if the loud crack he heard was from his handgun hitting the floor or if the back of his head had split open. A cry leaked from his lips as a loud gasp as he realized that he had just been shot in the stomach twice. Once it clicked in his mind that he had been shot, pain ripped through his innards and became aware of the crimson blood pouring from the wounds and onto the front of his shirt. It hurt so much that Leon clenched his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut, making another pained noised as his hand immediately clutched his abdomen, his own blood staining his hands. He didn't have to question who it was that came back into his store.

Robert's footsteps were approaching agonizingly slow, and Leon knew he was in danger. His entire body trembled violently as he forced himself to open his eyes, his breaths heavy and irregular as every breath he took was like a continuous stabbing in his already torn intestinal tract as he turned his head to see his handgun lying on the floor a few feet away. He put all of his strength that he could to reach out to grab it, but he was about six inches short of succeeding. His once bright hopes started to fade as he heard those slow footsteps come closer, closer, and he tried to use his arms and drag himself over to the gun, but once his bleeding stomach hit the floor his pain intensified and he ended up a crumbled heap on the floor on his side, curling into a partial fetal position as he gripped his stomach. All the while, Robert's footsteps sounded like they were going slower and slower with each step. Either his attacker was taunting him or the adrenaline was so powerful that time itself seemed to be slowing down.

Leon could feel his vision begin to get blurry around the edges and reality started to set in as he heard the footsteps stop somewhere behind him. He willed his hand to move, screaming in his head as he willed it to try to reach out one last time for his gun, but his fingers refused to budge from their position tangled in his bloody shirt. A foot came down upon his arm and swiftly pulled backwards, making Leon roll back onto his back and meet the dark eyes of his attacker as he loomed above him, duffle bag slung over his arm and a bright smile on his face, the creepiest and most demented smile Leon had ever seen.

"You should never turn your back on the enemy." Robert scolded him as if he was an ignorant child, wagging his pistol around like a disapproving finger. "It's almost sad, really, how trusting you were even when you pretty much said that I was someone who isn't to be trusted. Ah, well." He chuckled as he watched Leon begin to writhe as his stomach began to spasm and he started coughing up blood that trickled down the side of his mouth. "You might have thought you had me all figured out, but do you want to know what I like more than watching people suffer?" Robert paused, like he was expecting Leon to answer him. But Leon could barely understand what Robert was saying, his words sounding muffled and distorted like Leon had cotton balls in his ears, so the only reply Robert got was the sickening sound of a man gurgling on his own blood as he nearly slipped out of consciousness. Leon could barely make out the form of Robert pointing his gun down at him.

"Cheating abominations of their money and eradicating them in the name of Der Führer." The coveted title that belonged to the deranged German dictator, the name of Leon's true enemy was the last words he could barely make out before Robert delivered the final shot into Leon's forehead. Leon's violent writhing ceased and his body instantly went limp, dying instantly in cold blood on the dirty floor of his own store.

The evil Robert could have stopped there and escape into the night. However, he was aware that there was another person present within the building, a crippled and otherwise parasitic child with a sickness that would hinder him for the rest of his life. No one would want to deal with such a burden, and therefore needed to be disposed of in the same manner as his brother and guardian. It was much easier to kill a child than a grown man, Robert discovered, and then fled the scene mere minutes before the police arrived.

Just as Leon had told Axel in the past, he and Zack were the only ones left of his immediate family, so there was no one to notify about their passing. Instead, the news would make headlines in the newspaper and be broadcasted over the radio the next day of the gruesome double murder of Leon and Zack Müller.

However, Axel never got the chance to hear about it. Leon's murder was the first of a path of dominoes to fall, and the next morning Axel would come to find that he was unfortunately at the end of this path. Robert, having good ties with the secret police, was practically given immunity of any and all speculation that was bound to come his way when he spoke to a Gestapo informant of his deed. In fact, he was applauded. It was going to make their job of taking out 'the other faggot' much easier.

Even now, it was difficult for Axel to recall exactly what happened the next morning. When a person wills away a memory strongly enough and long enough, they begin to forget the details until they eventually forget about the incident entirely. Axel could only remember bits and pieces of his arrest, but it was a significant part of Axel's history and past so there was no way he was ever going to forget about it completely. All he could remember was rising from bed that morning and barely making it out of his bedroom before his weak, worn door came crashing in after being thrown off its hinges by the dreaded secret police adorned in their red armbands. He remembered being manhandled, being thrown about his apartment, punched, kicked, anything to make him stop fighting back. He could remember Aerith's ear-shattering scream as they dragged her out of the apartment by her ponytail with Axel being hauled out not too far behind.

The German secret police's vehicle of choice was the Mercedes 260D Sedan – it was known to the general public as 'The Death Mobile.' There was an old saying that if one saw the Death Mobile coming their way, trouble was imminent. Axel had seen several of these cars in his lifetime, and always got an ominous vibe every time he saw the sleek, black vehicles. He sometimes could see the people inside the windows, and he felt nothing but pity for them. Now it was his turn.

The ride in the Death Mobile was the most memorable part of that memory for Axel. He was shoved into the vehicle like a common criminal, sliding across the black leather of the seat and nearly crushing Aerith into the opposing passenger door, who had been pushed into the middle row of the three-row seating car first. Bruised, beaten, and a little bloody from a few scratches on his arm and his face, Axel felt weak as he struggled to scoot over to sit in the middle of the seat, his hands having been bound behind his back by handcuffs and were useless for the cause. Two officers climbed in the front row, and a third sat to Axel's left, with a crying and frightened Aerith cowering to his right. Her hands were bound behind her back as well with a smaller set of handcuffs, and she kept struggling with them and trying desperately to free herself from them as she cried.

"For the love of God, someone shut that kid up," The officer in the driver's seat barked as he fired up the engine and pulled away from the apartment complex, "before I shut her up myself!"

"I told you to knock the brat out when we were going down the stairs, but no, you wouldn't listen." The second officer in the passenger seat said mockingly as he buckled his seatbelt around his waist.

"I couldn't hear a single damn thing you were saying because of all the screaming. Believe me, if I had thought about it before we all got in here I would have done it- Jesus Christ, SHUT UP!" The driver snarled as Aerith continued to cry, which started a chain of loud and angry commands from the three officers to silence her, but their harsh words only made her cringe and cry harder as she buried her face into Axel's side. It sounded like she was trying to talk, but her constant hiccupping made it hard for Axel to understand her. He heart ached, wishing his arms were free so he could hold her and protect her from their new, harsh reality. All he could do was nudge his knee into hers to offer some kind of comforting touch. Axel hissed as the Gestapo officer beside him hit him in the back of the head with enough force that nearly made him dizzy.

"You better do something to quiet that child of yours before we throw her out onto the road."

"Maybe if you stop yelling at her she'll stop crying, did you think about that?" Axel dared to challenge the authority as he glared at the man beside him, who proceeded to hit him in the back of the head once again.

"Know your place, you filthy faggot." Axel's nostrils flared with anger as newfound rage filled him. He had never been called a faggot before. Common sense was beginning to fade and the desire to fight back in such a hopeless situation was steadily growing and giving him a second wind of strength as a bead of blood slowly slid down his cheek like a single bloody tear. He was seconds away from turning in his seat and thrashing his long legs at the terse officer beside him in a desperate, last resort measure to escape when he felt Aerith snuggle even closer to his side. He could tell she yearned to cling to him as her arms' muscles continued to pulsate from her pulling at the cold metal of her handcuffs. Axel sighed and closed his eyes to regain his own composure before he could offer any sort of assurance to someone else.

"Aerith," Axel leaned over the child beside him and spoke her name in a hushed whisper. He had to repeat it twice with each repetition slightly louder than the last until he finally got her attention and she looked up at him with red, watery eyes and was whimpering.

As he looked into those big green eyes that were full of fear, the gravity of the situation began to settle into Axel's mind and in time felt just about as frightened and worried as she looked. Robert had turned him and Leon in to the Secret Police, and it was only a matter of time before the two of them were to be transported back to their home country; not as citizens but as prisoners, where the highly feared and gruesome lifestyle of a German concentration camp awaited them both.

* * *

_**A/N: So another reason I've been slacking here is because I've actually been roleplaying this fanfic with some of my iScribble roleplay friends on skype. If you can't tell, I'm a highly literate roleplayer and if anyone would like to add me on skype, just let me know =w= I RP as Axel, of course. Or if you just want to add me to talk, that's awesome. We'll have lots of freaking fun, I promise. xD**_

_**Off to do the next chapter now~**_


	35. Muddy Water

_**A/N: So much real life shit. I'm sorry guys, I really am. D:**_

_**It's not gonna get much better, either…but hey. What can you do? I've never forgotten about SHBF for a moment though. This story isn't going to die. I LOVE IT TOO MUCH TO LET IT DIE.**_

_**By the way, this chapter is dedicated to Axel Akuseru, one of the few Axels on Facebook roleplay that I can stand to know and associate with and call my friend. BU He knows who he is. If it weren't for his spazzing after finding out I was the author of this fiction, this probably would still be sitting here collecting dust until college let out in three weeks. ***__**Heart**__*****_

_**I'll remind everyone one last time. This is the Holocaust. I'm not going to sugar coat it. It was a period in history where people were tortured and killed in mass genocide. If this is going to offend you, then uh…you should have paid attention to the disclaimer/warning I put in the beginning of this thing? ((Leave it to me to write something controversial… trololol.))**_

* * *

Axel wasn't sent to a concentration camp right away; the system didn't work that way. He would end up there eventually, but his first destination was a temporary prison camp about three hours away from their home in Poland. It was there that Axel was painfully separated from Aerith. Her screams and cries of reluctance as she was pried from Axel's side once they stepped out of the Sedan made Axel cringe from the splitting migraine that he had acquired on the car ride over. He went to try to break for her but was stopped as two other officers took him away in a different direction of the camp. Axel jerked his head over his shoulder, his emerald eyes clinging to the last few glimpses of his little sister as she was carried away into a drab, concrete slab building that neighbored the one that Axel was being taken to. It scared Axel to death to think that this would be the last time he would ever see Aerith again. As Aerith's sobbing became muffled and soon disappeared as the heavy iron door slammed behind her and the Nazi officer that was carrying her away, any hope of seeing the girl again died in Axel's heart. Surely…they wouldn't hurt her. She was just a child. If anything, they would try to send her away to a foster home…that's the best that Axel could really hope for, but he knew that had a slim chance of happening.

The prison was a cold and dark place, filled with the groans and mumbles of other inmates that awaited deportation from Poland to a German concentration camp. For being such monsters, the Nazis in charge of the camp were very organized in how they identified their prisoners. Each of them were given the standard, light grey clothing that usually was either too small or too big because they didn't care about giving everyone their own comfortable size, favoring just grabbing the closest set and shoving it into their arms before making them move along. They were long-sleeved collared shirts with bold black numbers on the lapel, and grey pants to go with them. Each prisoner only had two sets, which was one they would wear all the time and the other they would wear while their usual set was being washed. The only thing that distinguished each of the prisoners from one another was how the secret police 'marked' them.

The treatment of concentration camp-bound prisoners varied from place to place. Some were treated better than others, some of them just as bad as concentration camps themselves. The one that Axel ended up being taken to liked to make sure their prisoners would be able to remember their crime for (possible) years to come by marking them and putting colored arm bands around their arms of their clothing. When Axel first got his clothing, he was given a pink arm band to put around his left arm- the band of a homosexual. He was told to wear this band at all times to distinguish him from his other inmates. All gay men wore this band, while other inmates wore different colored bands that labeled them as Jews, Communists, gypsies, and other 'enemies of Germany.'

After a long, sleepless night, Axel was taken from his cell and brought to a room with a chair and a large machine that Axel had never seen before beside it. He demanded to know what was going on, but the men didn't even acknowledge that Axel spok as they pushed him into the chair and strapped his arms down to the arms of the chair. As an officer knelt down to restrain his feet to the legs of the chair, Axel kicked the man in the face. The glorified smirk that crossed his face was short-lived as another came up beside him and proceeded to bludgeon Axel in the head with the wooden end of the shotgun he held in his hands and shout Polish obscenities. Axel snarled and ducked his head down to try to get away from the beating, but by the time the Nazi was finished Axel was pretty sure he had a concussion. He couldn't fully understand what was going on as his head was lifted back up harshly by his bright red hair and felt something sharp get pressed into his face on his cheek, making him let out a cry of pain as the sharp object was dragged up and down his face, his eyes closing shut tightly as he tried to resist but he was held still by whoever it was that had a grip on his head. Axel could feel blood trickling down his cheeks as he was 'marked' on his left cheekbone, and let out another snarling cry as the same was done to his right. They were tattooing him, giving him the mark of two tear shaped tattoos that they gave to all homosexuals in the prison. The faculty felt that it was a more permanent reminder of their crime, a long term punishment.

Once they were finished, they wiped the initial blood off of Axel's face but did nothing to bandage or tend to the freshly made tattoos and sent him back to his cell. Axel's face continued to bleed for hours, and Axel had to make do with using his bed sheets to soak up his blood. Some of it dripped onto his collar and his sleeve, leaving ugly brown marks on the crisp grey clothing that would never come out. There weren't any mirrors around so Axel couldn't see what they had done to his face, but later on he'd find out what was on his face after look at other inmates that would happen to pass by his cell, all having the same triangular marks under their eyes as well.

It was a miracle in itself that Axel didn't contract a horrible infection from the mistreatment of the tattoos like his inmate did. He had shared his cell with two other men, both of whom were Jews. One of them died from an infection he got from his Star of David tattoo upon his wrist that the Nazis had given him. He did get sick, however, and that made Axel's stay in the temporary prison a fog to him. He spent most of it sleeping, if he could help it. He knew at least that much.

The transfer happened without warning. Axel had just gotten over his sickness when he was plucked from his cell and loaded onto a train- destination, concentration camp. People were packed into the carriers like sardines, not hesitating to pile enough people in there that some people were crushed under the weight bearing down on them. How Axel survived the ride over there was a miracle in itself, he believed. One would think with so many people in one space, it would be humming with the noise of conversation and such, but it was deathly quiet. It was quiet overall, save for the drone of the train and the occasional bump on the tracks. Axel was in the farthest corner, packed between two men. He didn't acknowledge them, and they didn't acknowledge him either. They all just seemed to sit there in quiet anticipation, dreading their destination.

Axel wasn't stupid enough to tell himself 'I'll make it out of this, as soon as they open the door I'm busting out' or something overly naïve of that nature. He spent his time quietly thinking. What was he going to do? Would he be here for the rest of his life, as short as it might be now? But, never once did he think about giving up. He had to survive, above all else. He wasn't quite sure how he was going to do it, but he was going to do his best to just survive for as long as he could.

_"Auf ihren Füßen!"_

That was the first thing Axel heard as the carrier door finally opened, pouring streams of light into the blackened darkness within. Moans of protest rang out as people shielded their eyes, but began to spill out as instructed. Soon Axel found he had more leg room as people started getting out, and begrudgingly pulled himself up on his feet and started walking towards the blinding light that lead to the outside world, a world that wished for his destruction.

He couldn't see at first, his eyes straining to adjust to the light, but wasn't given enough time to before he was thrown off of the stationary train and herded like cattle in a large group of people to the entrance of the camp. The camp was surrounded by a solid wooden fence, fixed with barbed wire. Two watch-posts guarded the entrance as Axel stumbled along while sandwiched between people to get inside.

Like clockwork, prisoners were stripped down from the clothing given to them by the prison and given a new set of clothing, but these were a dull cream color and had obviously been worn by previous prisoners, because they were stained with dirt and the occasional blood spot. But Axel was still supposed to wear the pink arm band, which he did so on his arm like he had been. After receiving his clothing, Axel was grabbed by a couple of the Nazi officers and his head was shaven. He had learned from the prison that if he resisted it would result in a brutal beating, so he had to grit his teeth and bear it as they dragged the blade across his scalp, feeling every drop of his humanity falling away with the bright red hair that fell upon his shoulders and lap. Eventually he squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the sight of his hair all piled up before him.

* * *

Roxas didn't know what to make of Axel's sudden silence after that. Axel had stopped talking and had looked away, bringing a hand to rub the back of his neck.

"Do I just…assume what happens after that?" Roxas asked quietly, still trying to soak in all of the details that had been given to him. No wonder Axel gave him such a hard time before. At the same time Roxas felt like he was just a crybaby in comparison to the redhead. He whined about his school life, his social life, and other things to Axel all the time when Axel had been a _Holocaust victim._ If anyone had the right to complain about life, it was him.

But Axel shook his head. "No, there's more to the story, much more." He paused, nostrils flaring as he took in a deep breath. "It's just…kind of hard to piece the memories back together in the right order since I've tried so hard to forget about them."

"I'm sorry…" Roxas said, feeling guilty about the entire situation now. It was really none of his business; at least that's how he saw it.

"Come on, don't be." The Preta forced a smile onto his lips as he reached around and hugged Roxas' shoulders, pulling him to his side. "You're fine. Really. This is something that you need to know. It's something that I _want_ you to know. "

"But why?" Roxas asked as he looked up at Axel, cerulean eyes saddened and filled with pity. Roxas' hands fidgeted nervously with one another, despite the fact that he was glad to be closer to Axel just now.

"Because I l-" Axel started out to say but quickly stopped himself, and then just as quickly saved himself. "Well, because I've been hanging around you long enough that I shouldn't be a stranger anymore. I trust you, which is something I haven't said to very many people." Keeping a cool outward demeanor, Axel was internally kicking himself for almost saying _I love you_. There's no way Axel could say that…he shouldn't say it, as badly as he wanted to on the inside. He wished he could tell Roxas how he felt. He wished he could tell this boy that every time he looked into his big blue eyes that he got a warm sensation that, for a few moments, made him feel human. He couldn't keep his hands off of Roxas, but that was something the blond already knew. And now as those eyes looked up at him, so full of sadness and confusion… _why do I love you so much_…?

"I trust you too, Axel." Roxas said as he shifted around, leaning into the redhead. "But that's nothing new."

"No, it isn't." he chuckled as he ruffled Roxas' hair and then leaned down to kiss the top of his head. He paused very briefly, just to get a small sniff of those golden locks…rather, just the smell of Roxas in general. Everything about him was comforting, and it was something Axel really needed if he was going to continue. "Want me to keep going?"

"It's up to you." Roxas mumbled quietly as he laid his head upon Axel's shoulder and hugged the demon's thin waist.

"I'll fast forward through a few months. Nothing really happened the first two months I was there, at least nothing significant except the usual daily torture of barely being fed and kicked around by the officers that worked there."

"That sounds pretty significant to me."

"Not what I meant. I'm the one telling the story here, I'll decide what's significant and what isn't." Axel paused to clear his throat, and then put his thoughts into line. "All right. Well…"

* * *

The camp was divided into two sectors- one for males and one for females. It was literally split right down the middle, with a chain-link fence separating the sexes. For the first two months, Axel remained on the male side amongst other persecuted men, ranging from Jews to homosexuals and prisoners of war. The worst Axel had to put up with for those few months were deprivation of food and abuse from patrolmen. That was until the concentration camp adopted a new 'cleansing' program.

One of Hitler's main goals in life was to create the ultimate Aryan race. Homosexuals posed a problem to this plan, hence why they were gathered up and persecuted in the same manner as Jews. Two months in, scientists were called in from Berlin to conduct experiments on gay prisoners in order to try to locate whatever gene made them homosexual and find a way to reverse it. Luckily, Axel was able to escape these experiments out of pure chance. Officers would literally storm each bunker and grab a few men with pink armbands and then drag them off for experimentation. Most men wouldn't survive these experiments.

But there was another aspect to this 'cleansing' program, one that involved less science but was equally as scarring. Homosexual men would be rounded up and taken to a building that was fixed in between the gates that separated the males from the females. Here, the gay men would be forced to assault and rape women that they had selected from the women's side to try to 'train' the taint of homosexuality out of them. Any man that couldn't get an arousal to do so or refused were beaten and tortured before being thrown outside. Any that weren't participating would be forced to watch, which the personnel believed would train their mind as well. Axel was never chosen to perform the acts, but he was forced to watch seven gangly women be sexually assaulted by equally ghastly looking men. There were times that it nearly made Axel sick, but he had to swallow down the bile that would rise in his throat or he would be in deep trouble.

In such a dark and grim situation, Axel actually got a lucky break. The Nazi Commander who was in charge of the camp lived nearby, in a luxurious mansion built with tasteful German architecture. When you were tight with the communist political party, it did have some perks. Household servants were apparently hard to find, seeing as many potential candidates were off fighting in the war. That left the positions open to the easiest free labor, which were prisoners from the camp. Axel was fairly new, and was considered able-bodied enough to take the job. Of course, he wasn't just offered the job; he was dragged off without much of an explanation until he got there.

It was his first day. He had been lead from the camp to the Commander's home while chained to a string of other prisoners, some of them dragging their heels and looking as though they were ready to drop dead. Axel had started to lose body mass at this point, and his cheek bones were starting to protrude from his face, though he didn't look nearly as bad as most of the other prisoners at the camp. But he would, in time. He hadn't been there very long. He could handle the abuse from the officers and their canines, but what got to Axel more than anything was the overwhelming hunger. And being unsure of Aerith's whereabouts, of course.

They were each spat out a string of chores to do for the day, and Axel was given quite a handful of things to do. It seemed that the master of the house was having a dinner party, so there was much to be done.

And of course, Axel's first task of the day is to clean the china. In the same room full of baked pastries that were to be served that night.

If there was a god, he must be having fun torturing him, Axel thought bitterly.

It was no surprise that Axel was specifically instructed not to touch a single edible piece of food in the room or he would be dragged out into the yard and beaten publically in front of the rest of the servants. So there he was, a half-starved man sitting in a grand dining room practically wearing rags and cleaning off dusty porcelain tableware. And the entire time, his eyes were glued to those decadent, sweet delights on the other side of the room.

Being from the camp, he instantly wasn't trusted by the other common servants of the household. There almost always seemed to be a presence in the room with him, whether they were dusting off a piece of furniture in the room or lingering outside, he never felt like he was truly left alone in the room. Probably because they thought he was stupid enough to try to run. Yeah, right. Run to where? Home was hundreds of miles away. And he doubted he'd make it across the lawn without being shot down by one of he guards.

Axel nearly dropped the wine glass he had in his hand when there was a sudden **BANG** that came from the kitchen down the hall. The servant woman that had been cleaning picture frames in the room went shuffling out of the room in a frenzy, along with several other people that went dashing by the door in order to see what had happened. Axel didn't care to see, because he now found himself alone.

The very first thing he did was spit on the wine glass. Forget the soapy water he had been given. It wasn't very much, but it was a gesture that was good enough for him to show only a shred of the hatred he was beginning to harbor. He wiped the saliva across the glassy surface and then spat on it again. He didn't know who it was that would end up drinking out of it, but whoever it was deserved it. No doubt if it was a dinner party the Commander was hosting, the guests supported his cause. It should be them in the camp, not him, not the innocent people thrown in there like a bunch of rabid dogs…

God dammit, the smells of those warm and fresh pastries were getting to him. Hungry, desperate eyes went back to the cart they sat in across the room, resting on a silver platter, though a little rusted it seemed. Axel's legs shifted a little in his seat, contemplating going to get one. Surely they wouldn't miss one, would they…? No, knowing the bastards, they would have counted how many were there before they even put him in the room, just for the sake of torturing him.

But just as he was about to consider taking a chance-

"Don't they look delicious?"

Axel swore in German as he flailed in his seat, clumsy hands fumbling with the glass that he had nearly dropped on the floor in surprise. Shit, someone had seen him gawking at the food. Shit, shit shit, he was in for it now-!

"Whoa, I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to startle you!" The voice that had interrupted him said, sounding almost worried. The voice sounded male, but it didn't sound like it belonged to a man. It sounded like a child's voice, almost. Axel finally looked up from his hands, and his eyes fell upon a boy that stood just to the left of the door's entrance, palms and back up against the wall as if he were trying to melt into it.

He had blonde hair that spiked up on the side of his head, and big blue eyes. The clothing he wore made it clear that he was not a concentration camp prisoner, but perhaps a member of the household. He didn't look very old, probably about fifteen years old. He was pretty short, too. Axel would have thought he was younger if it weren't for the sound of the teen's voice. Axel didn't know what to say; should he even say anything at all?

"I'm just hiding here, I won't be in here for long." The boy told him, bringing a finger to his lips in a hushing gesture. That's when Axel saw something cream-colored staining the sleeves of his crisp long-sleeved shirt he wore. It didn't take very long for Axel to put two and two together. This kid must have been the one that caused…whatever it was that happened in the kitchen.

Someone started shouting from down the hall, 'Ventus! Ventus!' and the blond quickly turned around and shut the door, propping his back up against it. This worried Axel for a moment because if anyone thought he had been the one that shut the door, it wouldn't look good for him. Heavy footsteps approached and made Axel bristle, but he tore his attention away from the door to look back at the glass in his hand and get back to scrubbing at it as if he had seen nothing, sure that the door was going to come crashing down.

But it didn't. The footsteps passed, and both of the males present in the room breathed a heavy sigh or relief.

"That was a close one." The kid, whom Axel presumed was 'Ventus,' said as he wiped his forehead, transferring some of the dough on his sleeve onto his face and then huffed as he wiped it off again.

"You're telling me…" Axel grumbled under his breath.

"So you do talk!" Ventus' face light up pretty quickly. "That's great. Not a lot of the people that come from the community talks when they come here to work. It's kinda sad, I think…"

"Community?"

"Yeah, you know, that place down the road with the wooden fence and barricade. Dad says that's where the sick people go to get help."

"Told you what now?" If Axel had been drinking something, he would have spewed it out in surprise. This kid thought the concentration camp was for _sick people_?

"Well you know, don't you? You're wearing the clothes that the other patients wear."

"Has he ever even taken you there before?"

"No, but he says that's because he doesn't want me to get ill. My dad's such a caring person."

"Uh…sure, kid." _His dad must be the Commander,_ Axel thought. _And he's feeding him a crock of shit._ His gaze started to drift away from Ventus back over to the pastry cart, because he caught another sniff of them and his mouth was practically watering. He hadn't eaten in…how long had it been? He wasn't sure. The only reason he was surviving was from rainwater that would gather in puddles on the muddy ground of the camp, or whatever scraps a sympathetic officer might throw at them from time to time.

Ventus must have caught Axel eyeing the food. "Hungry?" The blond chirped as the familiar click from a locking door filled Axel's ears, and then started walking towards the cart. "I'm kinda hungry too. That's why I went to the kitchen, and uh…" his voice trailed off as he laughed softly. "Well, you might not have seen what happened but I guess you can tell."

Ventus might have had good intentions, but Axel was still wary. He couldn't trust anyone. Not even this kid…he might seem nice enough, but what if he was just a ploy? What if he was being watched right now, waiting to see if he would take advantage of him? He still bore the pink homosexual armband around his arm, and from time to time he would get insults from the camp's personnel about being inappropriate with small boys just because he was gay.

But this kid, like he was swiping a pastry for a friend, plucked what looked like a croissant from the cart and stepped over to the bald man sitting at the table and handed it to him.

"Here! It looks like you've been working hard. You deserve it." Ventus said, the most genuine of smiles on his face. Axel stared blankly for a moment at the food in the boy's hand, then slowly looked up to Ventus, then down again. Axel sort of felt pathetic, like a stray dog being offered table scraps or something.

"I can't." Axel shook his head defiantly and scooted the chair away, hearing the unpleasant screech of the legs against the wood floor and then instantly regretted it. He hoped they didn't leave scuffmarks behind. He was not about to risk his ass for some kid, no way.

"Oh, I get it. Did Dad say you couldn't?" Ventus said, sounding a little disheartened. "Well, I'm a little hungry too, so…" Ventus took the flaky bread and carefully split it down the middle, revealing the jam inside. Again the torn half was shoved in Axel's face. "If they notice, I'll take the blame. Sound good?"

All Axel had to hear was 'I'll take the blame.' Hands acted on their own accord and, after emptying what he had in his hands already on the table, he practically tore the sweet treat out of Ventus' hand and consumed it in a matter of seconds. The jam was a flavor that Axel didn't normally like, but the man was half starving. It tasted like the most orgasmic thing he had ever put into his mouth.

This was the start of a very brief, but very much needed friendship.

* * *

_**You don't know how mad at myself I am that this chapter is shorter than usual. 5k? MY MINIMUM IS 6K! DX –Dies forever.-**_

_**But I wanted to crank this out, and I have a migraine, but I wanted to get this out really, really badly. Sorry for the lack of dialogue but, eh. And the house...if you know what movie it's (loosely) based off of, I'll give you a cookie. ouo It's a tribute to one of my most favorite movies.**_

_**Ohoho…it's just gonna get better. B] Wait and see.**_


	36. The Ultimatum

_**A/N: Back from a very long and somewhat unexplained hiatus.**_

_**I am very sorry to keep you all waiting for...nearly a year. Life became a major obstacle, and I have also gotten a job. I've been very busy and have found very little time to write, but now I have returned and will resume writing and Betaing whenever I can. Granted you might not get a chapter a week like I used to, but I promise I won't make you all wait months between chapters. Thank you and happy reading.**_

* * *

"Roxas," Axel spoke the name of the boy who had unknowingly caught his heart, but would soon have to let it go. "You know the phrase 'every could has a silver lining?'"

"Of course." Roxas replied with a nod. "My mom's said it almost all the time."

"That holds true to this story." The Preta suddenly became silent as a noise shuffled overhead. Shoulders bristled as he quickly looked up, expecting the worst. How dumb he felt once he saw that it was only a pigeon. _This is getting ridiculous,_Axel thought as he frowned. He wasn't going to curse the hand that was giving him the time he wished to tell Roxas his story, but it was silly that he was jumping at pretty much anything that moved or was out of the ordinary.

"You okay?" Roxas asked, having felt Axel tense up beside him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"So…what were you saying?" Axel ruffled his hair in typical anxious fashion before he continued.

"Well….every cloud has a silver lining, but there's also the risk of thunder and lighting. And a story like mine has plenty of it. Wish I could tell you there was a happy ending, but if there was I wouldn't be here right now."

* * *

Axel had lost track of time. He didn't know how long it had been since he had been at the camp. Weeks? Months? Maybe even years? Every day felt like an eternity to him. And every day while he worked at the Officer's home, he would catch a passing glance at himself- perhaps in a mirror on upon a silver platter- and see himself slowly slipping away. Dark circles surrounded his eyes, making them appeared sunken in. His clothing was becoming steadily looser and looser, his cheeks sinking as cheekbones jutted out. Yet despite the fact he was wasting away, he tried his best to keep up his strength. If he ever gave a hint of exhaustion, they would throw him out of this servant program to spend his final days lying around in his own waste at the camp.

But little did he know that something short of a miracle was about to occur. You see, the camp began to become overcrowded. They were getting more prisoners faster than they could dispose of them. This forced the current residents into tighter quarters. The officials at the camp began to breach the separated sexes and abolished the fence separating males from females in order to make more room for incoming prisoners instead of having to sort them out and having more on one side than the other.

At first, Axel hardly noticed the difference. His bunker neighbored another that became one for children. The cries and screams of young boys and girls crying for their parents were, at the very least, haunting. At least he didn't have to spend so much time there, being shuttled back and forth to the Officer's home. And of course, he had Ventus to keep him company while he was working there. He was quite curious about Axel, like he was a dog walking on his hind legs. He asked him about his past, where he came from, how he became sick, where his scars came from. Axel had been very reluctant to talk to the boy at first, but soon found himself beginning to open up to him. It was almost like Ventus filled the void that was left behind by Aerith. Oh how he missed his sister so…

It happened when he was coming back late one evening from the officer's home. He had been instructed to clean the sewing room, where the household servants would mend and tailor the family's clothes. Fortunately, Axel was left alone in that room on that day. A stroke of genius came to mind as he was busy pulling threads from used needles. He happened upon a needle that was threaded with a string that was similar in color to his uniform. He wasn't sure what compelled him to come up with this idea…perhaps in hindsight he could call it instinct. Keeping a careful ear on the door to hear for anyone coming his way, Axel took a piece of fabric and quickly stitched a small pocket onto the inside of his clothing's pants leg, right at the cuff. The outside stitching looked a little clean, but that wasn't anything a swipe of his dirty foot couldn't fix. Soon it was barely noticeable. He wasn't sure what he'd end up using it for, but he had seen several things in the house that he had thought about bringing back with him to the camp if he could figure out how to pull it off.

He had come back that night and was making his way back to his bunker, exhausted and just dragging his feet along when he heard some commotion in the neighboring shack by his. Several children were screaming, some were crying and the sharp voices of some familiar sounding Nazi officials could be heard. Axel didn't pay much mind to it….at first. Screams and cries had sadly become a familiar norm to him. But something wasn't right about this. No, not at all.

The door to the shack flew open and two Nazis strolled out, conversing with one another amid the screaming still within the makeshift shelter as they zipped up and adjusted their pants. Axel had quickly slipped behind the wall of his shack, out of view of the two men as they strode away into the night. Axel made a face of disgust. _Those horrible bastards were raping children_, he thought. The worst part about it was that they were going to get away with it, too. What rights did they have as prisoners to stop it? Axel could be angry all he wanted about it, but it wouldn't change anything. A few seconds later, a few children started stumbling out, crying for their parents and wandering about in the twilight, just making themselves even bigger targets. It was such a painful sight to see children with sunken faces, twigs for legs, looking like stout old men in the midst of starvation. However, Nazis were not as sympathetic. It didn't matter whether they were men, women, children, or babies- each and every one of them deserved to suffer.

The German captive sighed and turned the corner once it was safe to head to the entrance of his bunker when he noticed a child standing just a few yards away, their back facing Axel. The reason why this particular child caught Axel's eye was because of the blood that was streaming down their legs. From the sniffling he heard, he perceived this child to be female, wearing a similar uniform to his in a child's size except her pants were missing, leaving her legs bare and the damage done by the soldiers to her delicate body visible for all to see as it ran down the back and sides of her legs. She had her head buried in her hands and was sobbing, her knees shaking and looking as if they were going to give away any second. The sight struck a chord in Axel's heart, a very solemn one. Emerald eyes glanced from the entrance to his bunker, to the distance where he had seen the officers leave, then to the child, and made a decision.

Axel knew all too well how to deal with skittish children, since Aerith had been one herself. "Hey," Axel said in a quiet voice, just in case there were any guards around but loud enough for her to hear. He had to repeat himself a couple of times before she finally turned to look at him with wide, empty eyes. It was honestly the very picture of a creepy child in a horror movie, but Axel was pretty much living in a horror movie right now. She looked hesitant and seemed like she was about to bolt. Axel crouched down, the bones in his knees cracking hauntingly as he did so and extended a hand out to her. "Let me help you." He whispered.

The girl looked from Axel to the hand and then back at Axel. With that expression of a scared fawn still upon her face, she started to walk slowly towards the strange man that had suddenly appeared. He looked just like her…. and had such kind eyes. Not like the soldiers, whose hearts were made of stone. If this had taken place in regular society, she probably would have turned and fled at the sight of any man trying to offer her help; here, she had no family, no loved ones to turn to for comfort. This could have happened several times in the past already, and she had always been left alone to cry herself to sleep. But now…someone was offering their sympathy.

Once the girl was within reaching distance, Axel carefully scooped her up into his arms with ease- she couldn't be any older than six years of age, at least- and started to walk back to the child's bunker in silence. Neither of them spoke during that walk that seemed to take the entire night. The little girl only clung to Axel's shirt, and Axel soon felt the dampness of blood soaking into his sleeves. Each of them looked just as haunting as the other, merely shadows of the people they once were. They were not people here. They were not human here. They were rats, vermin, trapped in disgusting conditions and heading for one destination that would strike them whenever their captors saw fit. No one here ever knew if they would make it to see the end of the day.

The hushed whispers from within the children's shack fell into horrified silence as a tall shadow stood in the doorway. It took a moment for Axel's eyes to adjust to the darkness, but once they did it took all the strength he had to keep his composure. Children of all ages, from two to twelve, were stuffed into this little shack on wobbly, nearly rotten bunk beds with four children to each bed. There were what seemed like forty kids stuffed into this tiny, tiny space. There was hardly any place to walk, the floor splattered with waste and all different kinds of fluids that Axel didn't even want to think about it's contents, let alone that he was walking barefoot in it. It was a lot like his bunk, really; he was sharing a tiny bed with two other people.

Whispers in several different languages ranging from English, to German, to Polish, began to return once the frightened children realized that Axel was not a soldier, but a fellow prisoner, and with that so did the sniffling and crying. Axel inhaled deeply to sigh, ignoring the putrid smell that filled his nostrils as he looked for a place to set the child in his arms down. He went about two rows in before a small, hoarse voice called out to him.

"Rikku! Oh sir, please bring her here!" Axel halted in mid-step and looked to his left to the row he had just passed, where three children were already scrambling out of a bed to give the injured girl a place to rest. The sight of weak, starving children sacrificing a place to sleep for another that needed it was a humbling one indeed. It made a small smile twitch in the corner of his mouth as he shifted around and went to lay the girl whom he guessed was named Rikku onto the rotten, worn down 'mattress.' One of the little girls climbed back onto the bed, having somehow retrieved a set of pants and started putting them back on Rikku. Now safely in the presence among friends, Rikku began to cry.

"No no! Don't cry, Rikku…" One of the children hushed her as they clasped a hand over her mouth. "They will hear you…and come back…"

"Thank you for bringing her back, mister." The other girl whom had put Rikku's pants back on turned to look up at Axel. It was difficult for Axel to see distinguishing features of anyone in the room, but he acknowledged the girl with a nod, and with that he turned to leave to finally turn in for the night. Little did he know that the next words he would hear would shock him to the core.

"She needs to stop crying!" One of the older children hissed irritably.

"They'll come back for us if she doesn't stop!" Another whispered.

"Someone do something!"

"Sing her a lullaby!"

"A lullaby? That's a stupid idea."

"I know one!" The little girl whom had put Rikku's pants back on said in her hoarse voice, but she spoke in an assuring tone. "My big brother used to sing it to me when I was little…"

A hand upon the doorframe, his right foot out and ready to make the turned step to leave, he heard the first few lines of this lullaby as it wafted out and caressed his ear in a soft whisper.

"Lullaby and good night, with roses bedight, with lilies spread over the baby's wee bed, lay thee down now and rest, may thy slumber be blessed..."

Axel stopped dead in his tracks. That was Brahms' Lullaby, a German lullaby. It was also the very same lullaby that he vaguely recalled his mother singing to him when he was young, and was the lullaby that he used to sing to Aerith when she was very, very little. Disbelief struck him as he jerked his head around, nearly getting whiplash as his gaze focused once more upon that bed. The girl was hugging the sniffling Rikku, rocking from side to side a little as she kept going.

"Lullaby and good night, thy mother's delight, bright angels beside my darling abide, they will guard thee at rest, thou shalt wake on my breast…"

Rikku's cries dwindled into gentle sniffles once the girl was finished. But Axel was not concerned about Rikku anymore. No, he was completely focused on the girl hugging Rikku. The chance was so small that it probably wasn't even worth pursuing, but the chance was _there_…!

"Mausi." Axel muttered, nearly sounding hesitant. He was trying not to get his hopes up so that he wouldn't be too crushed by the very possible disappointment. Yet Axel's world came to a complete halt when that girl looked up at him, as if he had just called her name. Her eyes soon grew wide, the glimmer of glassy eyes reflecting from what little light there was streaming into the room from the open entrance.

"A-….Axel…?" She responded in an equally cautious tone, her breath caught in her throat. If there was ever such thing as dying from sheer happiness, Axel very well could have done so in his poor health condition. _She said his name_. She said his name!

Axel was not a man that cried very easily. But it took hardly any effort at all for tears to well up in his eyes and stream down his dirty cheeks. He pushed himself off of the frame of the door, nearly stumbling and losing his footing as he hurried back inside. Aerith gently pushed Rikku off of her, only to slide off of the bed and race to him as quickly as her little feet could carry her. A squeal of joy left Aerith's lips as she wrapped her arms around Axel's waist, clinging to him for all he was worth.

That night, Axel and Aerith's futures began to look just a little bit brighter.

* * *

Axel now had a new breath of hope in life. His friendship with Ventus was growing stronger each day, and now that he had found Aerith, he had a reason to fight, a reason to live. A part of him was upset that Aerith had ended up in the same place he was, surrounded by death and despair. It wasn't until he found Aerith that he realized just how much time had passed since he arrived. Aerith didn't seem quite as skittish as before- she had actually grown a little stronger, acting more her age. The separation from Axel probably did her some good and allowed her to grow up and mature. Despite that, there was one thing that certainly didn't change, and that was how much she adored her brother. From that night on she always waited for him to return to the camp to spend precious moments with Axel either in his bunker or her own. He had come to learn that Rikku was a new arrival, and Aerith sort of took her in as a younger sister and never left her side. She had been in need of someone to psychologically attach to in Axel's absence, and it had been Rikku who helped fulfill that need. They would always meet in the safety of the evening after the guards and soldiers made their last rounds for the night.

There were several occasions that Axel's worst nightmare became a reality- there were three days out of his stay that he returned back from Ventus' home to discover one of the soldiers had taken Aerith and had their way with her. It was in those situations that Aerith would become the desperate and fearful child she had once been, crying and seeking comfort from her older brother. It would take hours to get Aerith to finally settle down or cry herself to sleep. All the while, Axel would feel anger boiling within his chest and tears of anger stinging in the corner of his eyes. How could a grown man sexually assault a child like that? If he ever made it back while one of the soldiers were in the process of doing that to her….he wasn't sure what he'd do, but it probably would have been something very stupid that would result in the end of his life. He had no choice but to remain silent and comfort Aerith whenever it was needed.

Despite that, things were somewhat bearable. Axel was even able to give Aerith a present that he smuggled back into the camp via his hidden pocket. During a monthly session of 'spring cleaning' in Ventus' mansion-like home, Ventus and his siblings had gone through their old toys and were tossing out things that they no longer wanted or outgrew. Axel was fortunate enough to be allowed to help Ven clean out his belongings. Whenever the coast was clear, the two would chat with one another about various things, particularly Ventus describing fond memories of old toys with a wistful look in his eye as he would place them into one of the boxes where discarded toys were to be placed. Just as they were bringing down the last round of boxes, a small doll fell from one of his sibling's boxes that they were carrying down the stairs. At first Axel stopped to pick it up and kept it in hand as they finished their descent and went to put the boxes with the rest that were piled up on the front porch. He went to toss it into the pile, but stopped. It was very small, easily fitting into the palm of his hand. He stood there and carefully looked over it, thinking about how nice it looked in comparison to all of the things Axel had ever seen Aerith play with. She never had that many toys in her childhood, and neither did Axel.

"What's the matter?" Ventus asked as he came up to Axel's side and stood upon his tip-toes to take a look at what it was that had captivated the taller man's interest.

"This looks pretty nice." Axel responded, his thumb grazing across the doll's face. "Much nicer than anything I ever owned, I can guarantee you that."

"That old thing? My sister's had it ever since she was born!" Ven laughed it off casually like it wasn't that big of a deal, and to the blonde who was showered in blind luxury, it didn't. "It's been passed around to all of my sisters, kind of like a hand-me-down."

"Uh huh." Ventus was the youngest of his siblings and the only son of his family. He had three older sisters, but they had all grown up and left the house. Axel had only seen one of them once, but it was only in passing and he couldn't really remember their names. Ventus had surely told him several times, but with Axel's health deteriorating on a near-daily basis, little things were beginning to slip his mind. He was finding it hard to concentrate on things anymore and easily forgot what it was he was doing. All he ever really wanted to do was sleep and eat- but both of such things were hard to come by. He had to keep going and hide his growing weaknesses so that the soldiers wouldn't decide that he wasn't worth anything anymore and exterminate him.

"If it interests you that much, why don't you keep it?"

"What?" Axel blinked and looked down at Ventus in disbelief. "You'd really let me have this?"

"I don't see why not." The blonde shrugged. "It'll just go to the trash if you don't take it." Ventus was being genuinely honest, and such innocent honesty made Axel smile a little. Ventus still had no idea what Axel really was or why he was being persecuted. His parents were going great lengths to shelter their children from what the 'sick camp' really was. If Ven only knew just how dangerous but yet so touching such an offer that he was giving Axel was…

Axel's long, now boney and nearly spider-like fingers curled around the doll, joints cracking with a repulsive pop. "….Thank you."

"No problem." Ven only smiled back with his wide, perfect smile. "That's what friends do, right? Give each other gifts?"

"…I'm sure they do. But I don't think I can give you anything in return for this." What could he possibly offer Ventus? Probably just a rock he could find in the dirt or something to that degree.

"You've already given me something."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yep." Ven stood proudly as he put his hands on his hips. "You've given me the gift of friendship. Before you came around, none of the sick patients would really talk to me… I've been here all my life, you see. I've never gone to regular school. I always stayed here and my mom homeschooled me. So until now, I never really had a friend."

"I believe I can sympathize with that." Axel mused with a chuckle.

"Then there you go! Now we're even. Go on and take it if you like it. Who knows, it might cheer you up!"

_It might not cheer me up that much_, Axel thought to himself as he glanced back down at the rag doll in his hand and smiled. _But I know who it will. _

That evening he gave the ragdoll to Aerith after the patrol had left for the night. The now frail but still spirited girl was elated to receive such a wonderful present. It was, in fact, her very first doll. Aerith named her Gretel, and the two of them both mutually agreed that her favorite food was strawberries. And they both promised to one another with smiles upon ghostly faces that the first thing they would do once they were free would be to go buy a box of strawberries and eat them with their new little friend Gretel.

Oh what a dream that had been, Axel thought. A dream that would, like many other dreams before it, would never come true. The hand that had reached down and given the Daecher duo hope soon returned, only to steal it away.

* * *

Axel stopped talking right after that. Roxas looked up and saw that Axel had shifted to prop his elbows up on his knees and cover his eyes with his hands, nearly looking like he was about to cry. Roxas had no idea what Axel was thinking about just then, but he certainly knew what Axel was feeling because it hung in the air around them like a pungent scent. Pain. Suffering. Despair.

"….Axel…?" Roxas said carefully.

"….Now comes the hard part." The Preta mumbled solemnly as he lowered his hands, crossing them loosely on top of his knees as he stared straight across to the blank wall of the clock tower several feet away from them both.

"Axel, if you really don't want to, you don't have to keep going." Roxas assured him, thinking that his own greedy curiousity had put Axel through enough misery by making him recollect such awful, stomach churning memories. It was bad enough to hear about them, but to actually experience it?

"No." The redhead said sternly. "No. I've come too far to stop now. I always finish what I start."

"But you're hurting…"

"And you choose to give a damn about it now after I'm almost finished?" He said bitterly. Ouch. Roxas' eyes narrowed a bit, but Axel did have a point. They really wouldn't be here if it weren't for Roxas' constant questions about his past.

"Only if you're sure."

"I'm more sure now than I ever was. I started this story, and now I'm about to end it.

* * *

Place yourself in this situation- what if simply taking a shower was like playing Russian roulette with a loaded pistol attached to the showerhead? That was a reality in Axel's world. None of the inmates, not even Aerith, was ignorant to the Nazi's ways of exterminating the masses. Sometimes they were rounded up by the hundreds and stood in line to be shot into an open landfill of decaying dead bodies. This was, of course, if disease or starvation didn't kill them first. The worst part about being shot into the landfill, however, was that sometimes _those who fell in didn't die. _Somehow, a few would live despite their wound, left to die from bleeding out amongst squishy, smelly, disgusting dead bodies beneath them and be crushed by those falling in on top of them.

That had been widely used in the early start of concentration camps. Axel had arrived in what could be considered the new age of killing techniques. Machine guns and deadly toxic gas were the way things were done now. Axel had seen plenty of people be herded into the showers by the soldiers, only to never come back out. It wasn't like Axel could avoid the showers either, because he was constantly forced to take them, herded like cattle into the concrete room and packed inside like sardines to wait for the water to soak them and call that a 'shower.' Luck always seemed to be on Axel's side, because he never ended up in the groups that were exterminated this way. Others weren't so lucky.

On a September afternoon, Axel's life took a turn for the absolute worst. It was such unspeakable horror that he could still hardly find words to describe how it happened. It was the only thing out of all of his memories that refused to die. It would haunt him for the rest of his days, and in the lifetime after.

Ventus had given Axel a few pieces of taffy candy that his father had brought back from another country on a business trip. Axel had never tasted anything like it before, and was certain that Aerith would love it. By now, Ventus knew that Axel had a younger sister and how close they were, so whenever he gave Axel something to take back he usually gave him a little extra for Aerith. Ventus would always smile and say "I hope I get to meet her one day, she sounds like such a nice girl!" That day would never come.

Once released from the shackles that kept the prisoners in line once they returned to the camp, Axel made a beeline for Aerith's little bunker. He tried to contain the eagerness he felt, keeping a straight face when all he could think about was how Aerith would react to such a little delicacy like taffy. He expected to turn the corner and see the children laying about outside the shed, some of them playing games with one another and others talking amongst themselves as they always did. How peculiar it was when he saw that there was no one to be found. His red brows furrowed together as he carefully glanced from left to right, making sure the coast was clear before approaching the shack. If they weren't outside, they should be inside, right? Axel peered in, but there was not a single child in sight.

Strange, Axel thought. Very strange indeed. Nostrils flared a bit as he took a step back from the door and contemplated where he would look next.

"You lose something?" A nearby voice inquired. Axel looked over his shoulder to see another prisoner standing there behind him. He looked like he was new to the prison because his clothes were not dirty and he still looked like he still had some fat on his bones. He also had what looked like a spiral tattooed to his forehead, most likely some sort of brand from the temporary prison that he had been held in. As to what it's meaning was, Axel was not sure.

"Not really…I was just looking for the children that stay in this bunk." Axel replied. The man gave him a skeptical look.

"What kids?"

"The kids that stay here. This is a bunk for children."

"I must have my wires crossed, then." The man rubbed the back of his freshly bald head. "I was told this was where me and the latest group would be placed."

"There's no question that you're wrong." Axel snapped irritably. "This is where the children stay. I know what the hell I'm talking about."

"Hey old man, I'm not trying to pick a—"

"Who are you calling old? I'm fucking twenty one!"

"Are you looking for a fight? Because I'll knock your puny ass to the ground so fast your head will spin!"

"Both of you shut up before you start a scene and get us all killed!" A bystander snapped from a short distance away. Axel had let his temper get out of hand and flew off the handle, but he had a good reason for it. He knew this was where the children were kept, why would this new guy be told differently? Somehow, deep down, he began to feel a sickening feeling rise within him that he tried to ignore, keeping himself in denial.

"If you're lookin' for those kids, they were herded off to the showers a half hour ago." The bystander that interrupted the two of them said to Axel. Axel's gaze went between the two for a moment and was about to speak until the man kept talking, a solemn look coming over his face. "But I wouldn't count on them coming back."

"….What?" It felt as though someone had just snuck up behind him and drove a dagger into his chest. Still, he clung to his denial. It couldn't be so.

"Take a look." He shifted and pointed off towards the large building towering in the distance, where the camp's headquarters and showers were located. "See that smoke? There's only two reasons those chimneys would be smoking. Either the big cats of this camp are in there having a meeting and have a fire going, or….well, let's just say it isn't cold enough to start a fire yet." The man looked back to Axel, but Axel was no longer interested in what the other had to say. He was staring at the smokestack, watching the black smoke rise into the bleak sky with wide, dead eyes. He could nearly see the lives of each one of those children escaping to the sky, riding on billowing, toxic gases. His vision was flooded with images of what must have transpired within. Aerith, stuffed into a crowd of confused and nude children, peering up at the ceiling and awaiting the breath of water that should have cascaded upon them. Yet the water never came. Each one of them began to fall, one after another, losing their breath as their lungs filled with toxic gas. One by one, dropping one on top of the other…..

Axel wasn't even aware that he had been moving until his hands slammed upon the iron door that lead to the showers. Shaking fingers wrapped around the handle, but it simply refused to budge. He didn't even realize that he was crying, screaming Aerith's name as he pounded and kicked at the door until his throat began to grow sore. Generally a soldier or two would have come and dragged him away, but oddly none came to correct this outlandish behavior. This was because they were standing nearby, watching this pathetic queer scream and cry and fight a lost cause and were finding sickening amusement out of it. Their laughter never reached Axel's ears, however. He fought and fought until his weak knees could no longer keep him upright. He fell to the ground upon his knees, tears streaming down his tattooed cheeks as he stared a hollow stare at the door. His spirit had broken, his hope for all life had left him. He had lost Aerith. It was one thing having her taken away from him when they first arrived at the prison, but back then he had known she was alive. Now she was dead, completely eradicated from this world. He would never see his beloved little sister again.

Axel had lost everything he loved and all he held precious to him. Leon, Mrs. Guntram, and now Aerith…. What would he do if he somehow managed to survive this hell on earth? He had absolutely nothing to live for now. Anguish, grief, and despair were all he had to soothe this terrible wound to his very soul, and they were nothing but salt upon an open wound. He had made many promises in his life, most of which he was not able to keep due to the circumstances that surrounded him. Yet he had promised that he and Aerith would make it through this and celebrate their freedom once salvation came for them. It was the ultimate promise, and it was one that he couldn't keep. He shouldn't have lingered so long at the mansion…he could have come back earlier and stolen her away before the soldiers could usher her to the showers! He could have saved her! He could have done something…!

Though his physical being was alive, though weak, Axel had become dead inside. The next two days that passed had absolutely no meaning to him. He didn't even speak to Ventus at all during those days. What was the point? Everything he held dear would only be taken away from him. Ventus was no different. He was blind to Ventus' confusion about why all of a sudden his one and only friend wouldn't even acknowledge his existence, but Axel honestly just didn't care. There was only one thing on his mind now.

The Nazis had taken all that he held dear. Now it was time for him to repay the favor.

Revenge came soon after he lost Aerith, and oh so conveniently. While absently searching through some drawers to find a cloth to clean the windows with, he happened upon a small packet of matches. When his fingertips grazed upon the rough, red tips of the fire-starting sticks, he was instantly thrown out of his dead trance and into the throes of a vision; an evil vision. A vision of pain, suffering, and most importantly, revenge. A brief glance to the left and then the right gave Axel the all clear, and a sinister smirk that would strike fear into the heart of any man came to his face. The head officer, the master of this mansion, would pay the ultimate price for taking Aerith's life. Surely his anger was misplaced, but that did not matter to Axel at all. Someone was going to pay. Someone was going to die.

He waited until the dead of night the following evening. Axel had come to learn from overhearing a conversation between the rather chatty housemaids in Ventus' home that the infamous Adolf Hitler was in town, and just like Hitler had instructed to those in the town Axel used to live in, all military personnel were to attend his rally. This included those at the concentration camp, save for about for or five men that would keep guard of the perimeter. With fewer men patrolling, Axel saw it as a perfect opportunity to carry out his scheme.

He chose to seek out escape on the eastern fence of the camp because going to the entrance would surely mean disaster, since that was the place with the heaviest security. The soldiers greatly underestimated the prisoners of the camp, with the fences being mostly composed of only barbed wire. Axel waited behind one of the sheds patiently until he heard the sound of shifting gravel that indicated that the patrolman was heading this way. Though Axel was frail, adrenaline was coursing through his veins as a result of the anticipation of what he was about to do, accompanied with the danger that came with trying to escape. In a flash, Axel had grabbed the patrolling soldier and quickly disarmed him by grasping the shotgun that he had been holding and knocking him out with it with a strike to his head. He could have shot him, but that would have only attracted attention.

With the coast clear, Axel quickly hurried to the fence and shimmied under it, feeling the barbed wire rip at his clothing and at the flesh beneath. The pain that surged through him went largely unnoticed, numbed by the emotional pain that weighed heavily upon his shoulders. He got hung for a few seconds, but after nearly ripping his shirt down the middle in the back, he was home free.

Any man would have ran, running away as far as he could from such a horrible place. No doubt there were probably a few other prisoners watching, and any that were physically able at all to bear the pain inflicted by the barbed wire and had the strength to tear his clothing would probably follow Axel's lead and try to escape too. Not Axel. He was on a mission. There was a debt to be paid, one that could only be paid in blood.

Callused feet covered in dirt, waste and other filth walked the path through the woods that they had taken for what seemed like years, the little that remained of Axel's terrifyingly skinny form set on autopilot as cold, dead eyes stared straight ahead into the night. All the while, visions of his entire life began to play inside his mind. His brief time with his parents, his grandfather's clock shop, his time working at the food bank, Aerith's smiling face and innocent compassion…and Leon. His stupid face, his hearty laughter, his touches and kisses. Every memory a treasure, a tribute to those that he lost and those who would remain in his heart for the rest of his life…which was not going to last much longer. Axel walked this road with every intention to take his own life once he finished the deed.

Axel didn't know whether or not the head of the household had taken Ventus and the rest of his family along to the rally, but he didn't care. There were essentially no more fucks left to give for any other living person walking on this planet. Ventus was the spawn of the enemy. He was also precious to that same enemy. If the boy was to go down with him, then so be it. Soon the tin roof came into view in the distance, followed by the wooden exterior, and at last the house was in view. It was time.

Axel staggered as he lifted up his leg to reach into the pocket in his pants, pulling out the small pack of matches he had found several days prior. The same twisted smile came to his face as he tore one of the tiny wooden sticks out and looked upon the flame that sprung to life as he scraped it across the backside of the pack. The first one he kept in hand until the flame came too close to his fingertips and he then proceeded to blow it out. The smoke from the used match rose up in the same way the smoke from the chimney rose to the sky when they took Aerith's life. A new pillar of smoke would rise again on this night, and with it would carry the spirits of those who would be trapped within.

_Scratch, flick. Scratch, flick. Scratch, flick._Axel circled the perimeter of the house, lighting matches and flicking them onto the outer wooden planks of the walls and windows. By the time he had circled the entire house, the matches were spent and small flames were already beginning to eat away at the exterior of the home and seep inside. Axel threw the wrapper onto the ground carelessly- it was useless to him now. He then sat down in the yard and waited, watching as the flames rose higher and higher. It took some time, oh surely it did. But thankfully it had been a dry season in Germany this year, thus speeding up the process. Even so, Axel became impatient after about ten minutes. This needed to happen faster! There needed to be more flames, more destruction! He rose back to his feet and went to the nearest tree to pick up a loose limb that had fallen to the ground and brought it to the porch where a pocket of flames still burned with violent intensity. Lighting the stick, Axel used his shoulder and shattered a window to get inside.

He dragged that stick across the wooden floor through every room of the first floor, and it was then that the house really began to start burning. Now the flames had something to catch onto- furniture, rugs, and other flammable surfaces. Once he made it to the staircase, he threw the remains of the burning stick with all the strength he could muster to the top of the staircase to light up the remaining second floor. The sound of crackling fire snapped and roared around him, rising higher and higher still. He then exited the same way he came in, avoiding the flames as best he could to back outside and sit in the same spot he was sitting in before. He wanted to witness the destruction for himself.

That's when the screams began. Lights flickered on in a few rooms, only to short out and explode. Smoke billowed out of the window Axel broke to get inside, which only became thicker and thicker as time progressed. And Axel could only laugh. He laughed, he laughed like he had never felt so fulfilled in his entire life. He laughed like he was watching a comedy, he laughed so hard and so menacingly until he cried. His laughter soon distorted into sobs of sheer agony. Just like this home, Axel's inner self was burning from within, dying a horribly painful death. He was so wrapped up in his own anguish he didn't notice that several of the servants had somehow managed to flee outside, coughing and screaming and paying the crying man in the yard absolutely no attention because he wasn't their concern. So what was it exactly?

Ventus and his mother were still inside, and the entrance to the house had already collapsed, trapping them. But that wasn't Axel's problem, right? He had no more conscience; he was dead inside! That's what he was telling himself. He didn't care. He couldn't care. He _shouldn't _care.

"AXEL!" A familiar voice was what snapped him out of his bout of mourning. He looked up and saw Ventus hanging out of his bedroom window, the haunting flicker of flames rising up behind him. He was trapped inside of his room, and he was calling out to his one and only friend to save him. "Help me! Help me please!"

Axel only stared at the blonde with a blank expression on his face. Help him? Why should he help him? He- well, now that Axel thought about it, Ventus hadn't done a single thing wrong. Ventus wasn't the one that killed Aerith, yet Axel was just sitting here and letting him be punished for it. What gave him the change of heart? It was the look of pure fear on Ventus' face. It bore such a striking resemblance to the same way Aerith looked at him when he was taken away to the hospital when the dog attacked him, when they were separated at the prison, and it surely would have been the same one she had on her face in her final moments of life as toxic gas choked the life out of her. He was no better than the very people that put him here by doing this!

"Hold on!" Axel shouted as he sprung to his feet and raced towards the house, bypassing the horrified servants and, going against every single primal instinct he had that was screaming at him to get away, went back inside the burning house through that broken window, coughing and wheezing as the thick black smoke filled his nostrils.

The fire was everywhere. The floor, the ceiling, the walls, just engulfing everything in its path. The floor was creaking and flaming furniture was falling through it as the weak wood gave away. The intense heat and smoke nearly blinded Axel, making him hold an arm up to his mouth and squint his eyes to try to find a way to get to Ventus as soon as possible. The outlook was grim, but Axel wasn't going to give up. Bracing for pain unlike any he had felt before, he pushed onwards and ran, weaving through the flames and falling debris as the floor below was beginning to cave under the increasing pressure and brittle support of the burning ceiling above. Axel could barely breathe or even see, but he somehow managed to make it to the staircase and made a break for it. Each step that he took quickly caved behind him, making this a one way trip. At the top he was able to leap over a fallen beam, which indicated that the house was only mere minutes from collapsing. Unfortunately his leap was miscalculated, and with him in such poor physical condition, he went stumbling and fell to the floor. Defeat bore down on him like the flames and smoke that surrounded him, but he could still hear Ventus crying out his name. He couldn't give up. He wouldn't let Ventus down, not like he had let Aerith down. They were going to make it, _Ventus _was going to make it or Axel was going to die trying.

But Axel struggled more and more with each breath he took. Smoke was filling his lungs, the fire was surrounding him, and he was running out of time. He was fighting Hell itself to get back to his feet to brace this final obstacle. The obstacle in question was the wall of fire that sealed Ventus inside of his room, and was what kept the two separated from one another. Axel was going to have to go through it to get to him, he soon realized. It was risky, it was stupid, and would most likely end with him burning alive instead of saving anyone. He had to try, though, he just had to.

And just like in Leon's final moments, everything around Axel began to slow down. All noise faded into silence as adrenaline coursed through Axel's veins except for each of his own steps across the floor as he made a run for it, each contact sounding like a crack of rolling thunder. He could also hear Ventus' voice calling his name. Every part of Axel was telling him to stop, but he refused to heed such caution. The wall of fire seemed to rise above him like a tidal wave and came crashing down on him like the rolling waves upon the shores of the ocean's beaches, and Axel was swept away into its powerful currents.

He was on fire. The smell of burning flesh soon replaced all other scents clogging his senses. There was intense pain all over his body, and it seemed the scream that ripped from his throat as a result only increased it tenfold. The last thing Axel saw was the look of sheer terror upon Ventus' face as Axel fell to the floor of his bedroom, his body completely engulfed in flames. After that, he could no longer see for the intense heat made his eyes begin to melt. . And strangely after that, the pain subsided, but he was still very much alive. The fire had burned the nerve endings in Axel's skin, but continued to ravage his body and cook him alive. Though he could not see, he could still hear. He heard more screaming, more creaking, and then an explosion. He couldn't be sure what it was that exactly killed him; being burned alive, the carbon monoxide from the smoke, or that seconds later the house caved in upon them both. All he knew was that he had felt intense pain…and then he stopped breathing as a different kind of darkness closed in on him. It wasn't the kind of darkness from one closing their eyes or simply turning off the light; it was a more foreboding ultimatum.

And then there was silence.

Two months later, the war was over.

* * *

_A/N: .n. Well...there you have it.  
If any of the images given in this chapter bothered you, well...I warned you, honestly. I told you I wasn't going to sugarcoat things. _


	37. Ich Liebe Dich

_**A/N: I'm sure I'm going to make many of you happy when I say that I will now start updating more frequently again. Also, expect a special Christmas story sometime within the next few days…. =w= Happy reading.  
**_

* * *

Twelve Earth days had passed. The supreme Asura, Xemnas, sat upon his throne made of white ivory, adorned in the black and white robe issued to only those of his kind. One gloved hand was pressed onto his jaw, his elbow resting on the arm of the chair as the opposing hand drummed idly upon his lap. His golden orange eyes seemed to be clouded, distant…for he was lost in thought.

_You are more valuable than you think, Axel, _Xemnas mused to himself. Yes, Xemnas had been watching the redhead for some time now. He had spies within the walls of Heaven that had brought him files of souls that had previously belonged to the Asuran race. Many of his followers thought he was simply seeking out more allies, but that was far from the case. He was looking for one ally in particular. His partner, his yin to his yang, the one that had helped him rise to the highest power of the Asurans as their ruler.

"Saix." Xemnas finally spoke, summoning in blue-haired minion. It took a few moments, but in a swirling shadow of black and purple, Saix appeared. The Preta looked rather disheveled once the darkness of the corridor dispersed. Saix seemed to be aware of it as well. His hair was standing on end, but it was easily fixed with a few brush strokes of his fingers through the wayward locks. A silver brow was cocked in his direction, an indication for an explanation.

"Forgive me, Superior." Saix mumbled in his monotone voice, not yet looking Xemnas in the eye until he had fixed his hair and wiped away several streams of crimson that had trailed down his chin. He had been feeding.

"Let the apology be mine." Xemnas bellowed as he nodded his head. "I did not mean to interrupt you while you were indulging in your sin."

"If I may, it no longer counts as a sin in my eyes." Saix countered, his tone dropping a few syllables to sound defensive.

"As much as I love a good slaughter, even I would think twice before taking an infant's life."

"Your judgement can't undo the price I must pay. You summoned me for a reason. Let's get down to the bottom of it."

"Of course." A smirk slid upon Xemnas' lips. Of all the Pretas he had seen and worked with, Saix was quite an oddity. Previously a doctor in 19th century United States, Saix had preformed thousands of dangerous and illegal abortions on young women that often resulted in their deaths. The deaths were not intentional, of course. At least, they weren't at first. Over the course of several decades, Saix was seduced by the rush he felt, knowing these women's lives were in his very hands. Soon, he began killing every pregnant woman that came to him for his services, whether it was an abortion or just a check up. He was soon caught and hung for his deeds, and in his next life as a Preta, he was sentenced to feed upon the blood of infants until he had atoned for his sins. Xemnas loved to remind Saix of this fact and catch glimpses of the otherwise emotionless man's sorrow. Besides, Xemnas would kill a child anyway without batting an eyelash.

"It is time to bring Axel here to join our ranks." Xemnas began after clearing his throat and sitting up straight. "I planted a double agent amongst those he has recently encountered. I want you to go to them and alert them that it is time to bring him to his new home." Xemnas was rather pleased with the web he had weaved for himself. Axel had been in the presence of the one who would be his undoing for a long time and didn't even know it. Oh, Xemnas could only wish he could see the look on Axel's face…but Asuras, just like the rank of Heavenly beings above him, were unable to leave the skies above. Saix, however, didn't seem so enthusiastic, if that was even possible.

"…I was under the impression I would be the one bringing him here." Saix said, sounding a little put off.

"Did I ever explicitly say you would be?"

"…No, Superior."

"Then follow my orders before you become my next project in the lab." The Asura hissed, orange eyes narrowing into a glare that would send most of his underlings into a shivering fit. Saix did not fall into that category.

"….Tch." The bluenette scoffed as he turned around, his back facing the Asura. Xemnas wouldn't even be as far along in his project if it wasn't for him, Saix thought to himself. He had been hoping he would be the one to dispose of Axel. Just the sheer disposition of Axel and the relationship he shared with the living…it was disgusting, a mockery of their race. Saix hoped to feel that rush that intoxicated him so many years ago once more. Sadly, snatching an infant from their crib isn't quite as fulfilling as watching the look of sheer horror of a grown adult's face when death rises from the ground to greet them.

* * *

"….This is the part where you say something so that this particular moment isn't so awkward." Axel mumbled.

"…I don't really know what to say, Axel." Roxas said just as quietly. How…could he process all of this information? Axel was cheated out of a great life, one that he deserved. He had died a hero, obviously…but a hero that no one in history probably even remembered. He endured terrible suffering, pain, and betrayal. Yet here he was, sitting on a clock tower with a boy he had only known for a short time, sharing this information- sharing his story.

"…I never thought I'd actually tell someone about it." The Preta sighed, at last making a movement by putting a little distance between him and Roxas. He reached back over to retrieve his prized possession and clasp his gloved fingers gently around its worn fabric. Drawing his knees up to his chest, Axel just sat there with an arm draped over the top of his knees, the other reaching over the top of his head. He honestly looked like he was trying to protect himself from some oncoming aerial threat. "I could have saved her, Roxas. I could have prevented everything that happened to us. All it took was just some…crazy chance of an encounter and one stupid mistake. They took what was mine…and for a long time, I believed by taking Ventus' life that I had evened the score."

"You didn't mean to take it, though…"

"That's true. At least towards the end. But for sixty years, I have been wrong. I didn't settle anything. It wasn't Ventus' fault. If anyone deserved to die in that fire with me, it was every single one of those bastards that had the nerve to wear a swastika on their arms. I could have dragged Hitler himself to Hell with me if I had been given the chance…but that still wouldn't change anything."

Axel's voice gradually began to grow quieter, and perhaps more fragile as he spoke. He had exposed the worst of his psychological wounds, and though Roxas couldn't ever truly understand, he was reliving every single moment. The sudden movement that Axel made not too long after that made Roxas jump out of his skin, because the redhead went from sitting there curled up into a ball to springing onto the blonde and grabbing his shoulders.

"You need to promise me something." Axel said sternly, his green eyes noticeably glassy. That could only mean that…he wanted to cry. This man deserved the chance to cry without judgement, Roxas thought, but yet Axel was still trying his hardest to contain them.

"I-I…" Roxas' throat vibrated as he tried to find words to speak, but none came. He felt like he should say something, but when Axel narrowed his eyes and gave Roxas a look that told him to piss off and shut the fuck up, he did so.

"I have been with you for all these weeks. I've been here with you, watching you deal with your own problems and bottling up your anger and contempt for those around you. _Stop it."_Roxas could hardly tear his gaze away from Axel's, but he only did for just a moment to look upon his right shoulder where he felt the Preta's hand beginning to tremble. "Don't make the same mistakes I did. Don't… blame others for the way you feel. Promise me that when tomorrow comes, you'll set aside your dislikes for the city and live your life to the fullest. You do have friends here, Roxas…you just have to give them a chance. Sure, there aren't any four-wheelers, potato cannons or casseroles anywhere in sight, but you can adapt. Because you never know when your time is over. All that anger can make you bitter…and you could end up just like me."

"Axel…" Roxas had never seen Axel so wrapped up in himself like this. But the floodgates had been opened, and Axel wanted to convey his moral to his story to _someone_…anyone who would listen. The Preta soon leaned in to press his lips to Roxas', giving him a deep and loving kiss. Of course, Roxas wasn't going to deny it. He almost instantly wrapped his arms around Axel's neck to return the gesture. Axel's hands soon went from Roxas' shoulders to the sides of his face, framing his lovely cheeks and stroking them with his thumbs, just trying to savor the taste of this kiss that came from the boy he had fallen absolutely and ridiculously head over heels for. The only thing that could possibly be wrong with this moment was that he couldn't tell Roxas how he felt. It would only break his heart after he had to leave.

A second contender for ruining this moment made it's glorious entrance only a few seconds later in the form of Roxas' stomach snarling it's declaration of 'food goes in here in the morning, jackass' from what sounded like the bowels of Hell. Having become so used to hearing Axel's stomach growling like that, it didn't even register with Roxas that it was his own stomach until he decided to make the brave move of inviting his tongue into the equation of their lips, only to find that his tongue met with open air.

"That's a nice look for you, but it isn't me bringing the party pooper this time." Roxas' face was red in a matter of seconds, his tongue quickly withdrawing back into his mouth.

"Wh- well you don't have to leave me hanging like that!" Roxas retorted back.

"I wouldn't have, but that was so loud that it even scared me, and that's saying something." By now, Axel's voice seemed to return to its normal tone, save for his eyes were still a little watery. It wasn't something that a quick sniff of his nose and a rub of his eyes couldn't fix, though. Roxas was still embarrassed, but he was just glad that Axel wasn't so upset anymore to the point of being next to tears. It tore Roxas apart worse than he ever thought possible.

"I didn't get the chance to eat breakfast before we left…I'm sorry." Roxas rubbed the back of his head, deciding that the sky off to the right seemed very interesting all of a sudden.

"I guess I should have let you eat before I rushed you out here." Axel shrugged a little as he grinned, then reached out to wrap his arm around Roxas' neck and pill him close, keeping his grip firm.

"Fuu- let go, I can't breathe!" Roxas gasped.

"Not until you promise me what I said earlier."

"I was going to before you went all Gone With The Wind on me."

"Sorta got lost in the moment. I could have pulled a Jack the Ripper instead, if that's what you preferred."

"Okayfine,JUSTLETMEBREATHE."

Roxas wheezed as Axel let him go, but Axel simply ruffled the blonde's hair, knowing he hadn't caused him harm. After recollecting himself and smoothing his hair back into place, he heard Axel sigh.

"Hey, Roxas?"

"Hm?"

"…Thanks for listening."

"You don't have to thank me."

"I feel like I should." Axel shrugged, looking out to the horizon as he placed his hands behind his head. "I know just listening to my story doesn't seem like much, but you have no idea how hard it's been to carry this burden. Now that I've finally said it, I guess I feel a little better. And when you're a demon in constant suffering, that's saying a lot. So…thank you." Roxas could tell these words were coming straight from Axel's heart. He was being so candid, letting his true colors show for the first time. And though they were distorted and depressing, Roxas sort of felt lucky he was the one to help put a restless soul at ease. Not exactly in peace, because Axel wasn't going anywhere like most spirits do in the movies or whatever. At least that's what Roxas thought. So the blonde just smiled, and followed Axel's lead of looking out over the surrounding buildings and sky overhead.

About a minute or so passed before Roxas spoke. "… I hate to ruin the moment again, but this hunger issue seriously needs to be addressed."

"Look who you're talking to." Axel teased. It only made Roxas roll his eyes.

"Can we just go back home for a little bit so I can eat something?"

"Can't you just wait a little longer?"

"We can just come back here when we're done. Better yet, bring lunch back here."

Axel really, really didn't want to leave. He had a very distinct feeling that once they left this tower they would never come back. He also knew that if he kept resisting, Roxas would get suspicious and want to know Axel's true motive. Instead of coming clean like he should have, the Preta just shrugged and sighed.

"Alright."

But Axel's reluctance did send up a tiny little red flag to Roxas. It sort of seemed like he was avoiding coming home… but it was probably nothing. Axel had come clean. He wouldn't hide anything else from him, right? He hoped that was the case.

Within a few minutes, Axel had ushered them both through another corridor to materialize in Roxas' kitchen. The redhead was taking a big risk doing this. He would have been more comfortable coming back through Roxas' room, but that meant time would be wasted as the blonde went downstairs, and it would also leave Axel momentarily alone. He hoped that whatever was going to happen would not occur as long as Roxas was nearby. The spiritual world seemed to favor doing things in the absence of the living, and that's what Axel was counting on. However, coming back to the kitchen had one major problem.

"Where are the dogs?" Was the first thing out of Axel's mouth, green eyes darting from one door to the other for any sign of the filthy canines. Good grief, the hairs on the back of his neck were already standing on end.

"…I honestly don't know what my mom does with them after me and Sora leave for school." Roxas replied, walking to the entry way that lead to the living room and sticking his head out to search for them. When they had lived back in Georgia, Tifa used to always let them outside in the mornings. Now that they lived in the city, it was dangerous and also illegal for dogs to be running around outside unsupervised. When Roxas didn't see them, he glanced over his shoulder to Axel. "We won't know for sure unless I call them…"

"Are you out of your fucking mind, _don't_do that!" Axel hissed, now starting to get anxious. If it was true that dogs could smell fear, well….Axel was a sitting duck. "Just hurry up and get something to eat so we can leave."

Roxas was sort of starting to get annoyed with Axel's fear of dogs. He loved to play with Shelby and Rocket, but he couldn't do it as much with Axel around. Maybe I can work on helping him over his fear next, Roxas thought. It would be fun to be able to play with his dogs and having Axel join in. It would probably also help the redhead heal. That, however, was a goal that would take a lot of time and work. Strange, Roxas kept thinking that he had all the time in the world with Axel. He tried not to focus on the technicalities.

So Axel slid onto one of the bar stools and glanced from one door to the other like some kind of basket case, Roxas decided he would just make a couple of peanut butter sandwiches. He made haste digging through the pantry for the bread, the jelly, and… oh damn it all. Of course the new jar of peanut butter was on the very top shelf, and Roxas was only a couple inches from being able to reach it.

"Axel, could you give me a hand?" Roxas asked after his third vain attempt to grab the jar.

"For what, you have two of them."

"Thank you Captain Obvious, but if you were paying attention you'd see I can't reach the peanut butter." He heard the bar stool creak as Axel slid off of it and made his way over to the pantry, chuckling at Roxas' predicament.

"Move over, Shorty." The redhead teased yet again as he gently eased Roxas out of the way to grab the peanut butter for him. Roxas decided it would be best not to try to retort to that one, but his frown as he yanked the jar away from the Preta made his lack of amusement quite clear.

Just as Axel closed the pantry door, he heard this loud snap, like a large limb had broken in half or something of the sort. He quickly looked to Roxas, instinctively thinking that he had broken something or he had fallen, but Roxas was perfectly fine.

"Did you hear that?" Axel asked.

"Hear what?"

"That noise just now."

"All I heard was you shutting the pantry door."

_SHOOOM._There it was again.

"And you didn't hear that just now?"

"Um, no?" Roxas was in the middle of spreading the peanut butter over the bread as he looked over at Axel skeptically. Axel only looked back at him with the same incredulous look. It had been pretty loud. How could he not hear it? Unless…

"Hey, I'll be right back." Axel said as he bypassed the blonde to slink off into the living room. As much as he didn't want to, he had to check it out. If Roxas didn't hear it, then it only meant one thing. And, as previously stated, he didn't want Roxas present when the time came.

Axel crept cautiously through the living room, both to listen for the slightest sound and any sign of something out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, Axel didn't think to turn the lights on as he went along. While the sunlight did light up the room somewhat, he was not used to the surroundings of the lower level of Roxas' home. He ultimately ended up stepping on one of the dog's squeak toys, practically making the demon jump out of his skin. What the heck was wrong with him, making these stupid mistakes and jumping at every little thing? Axel wasn't afraid, he just didn't know what to expect. He had no idea what Asuras were capable of.

"_Dum fickt speilzeug*_." Axel cursed under his breath as he yanked the toy out from under his foot and threw it across the room in a small outburst of anger. The toy hit the opposite wall and squeaked upon impact. This was ridiculous. He had to pull himself together, damn it.

The sound of claws scratching against hardwood floors reached Axel's ears, and he was filled with dread. It sounded like it was coming from behind him. Sure enough, when he dared to turn his head around, out came a large fluffy ball of fuzz from one of the hallways. It was Shelby, the German Shepherd mix, and she had been awoken from her nap on Tifa's bed by the sound of her favorite play toy squeaking.

Shelby took this as an invitation to play. Her tail was wagging, her tongue hanging out, paws shuffling underneath her like she was anxiously waiting for Axel to pick up the toy and play with her. Axel, on the other hand, was far less enthusiastic. His eyes were wide with terror, his mind racing a mile a minute. To him, Shelby's body language didn't say 'let's play.' It was more along the lines of 'prepare to get your throat ripped out.'

"Easy….easy…." Axel turned towards the dog and raised his hands up defensively. "Just….stay right there." It was quickly becoming apparent that this stranger didn't want to play with her. In a dog's mind, if this unfamiliar presence didn't want to play, it only meant one thing: Intruder. Shelby barked once. Then again as she took a few steps forward, her inner guard dog churning in her blood.

"Nononono, back off, fleabag." The Preta hissed, taking several steps back. He was retreating, which only made Shelby react further by throwing in a little growl. Okay, so, dogs can smell fear. Perfect. Absolutely fantastic. Axel had successfully gotten himself into a situation he had been trying to avoid for weeks.

Fuck. This.

Instinct overshadowed common sense, so Axel opted to make a mad dash for the closest door instead of doing the smart thing and teleporting somewhere else. All he could think about was that horrifying incident where he was chased down by that German Shepherd in his complex. The snarling, the teeth, the pain. Rational thought was long gone at this point. In a matter of seconds, Axel had practically flown out the front door of the house, unsure of whether or not he heard Roxas yell something through the pounding in his ears as he slammed the door behind him and pressed his back against it like he was trying to keep Cerberus himself from breaking down that door. Breathing heavily, he clutched his chest and tried to recollect himself. Absolutely nothing scared Axel shitless like that in this world… except for dogs and airplanes. At last, Axel let out a heavy sigh. _So much for that,_ he thought. The adrenaline was dying down, and now he just felt stupid. At least Roxas didn't have to see it. Speaking of which, he should be done with those sandwiches by now. The demon's thought process, however, was disturbed by what felt like a rope suddenly coiling around his neck.

Axel quickly stepped away from the door and managed to snap whatever it was that had looped around his neck before it had the chance to constrict him. The front door was now covered in fast-creeping vines, weaving against one another and growing thicker by the second. It was clear that these vines were intent on keeping Axel_ out_of the house.

"What the-?" Flames engulfed his fists as he ripped through the vines in an attempt to reach the doorknob, but those that he managed to burn through were only replaced with thicker, stronger vines. With each passing second, the situation became more and more dire. He ripped, he tore, he burned through the foliage until he at last had his hand upon the doorknob, but promptly lurched his hands back with a painful hiss when the vines sprouted razor-sharp thorns.

"That isn't very wise, Axel…" A familiar voice purred nearby. Hands still ablaze, Axel whipped around and found a certain pinkette standing at the bottom of the steps as roots cracked the concrete of the walkway beneath his black boots and vines rose from cracks in the ground, slithering like serpents to root themselves upon the house. There was an evil, arrogant smirk upon the rose-eating Preta's face that Axel took all of two seconds to realize he really, really hated. There was only one reason why he was behaving this way.

"Marluxia." Axel hummed as his eyes narrowed into a glare.

"It would seem the fox has been outwitted. I thought you would have grown suspicious by now, but it seems you aren't as bright as I originally thought." Marluxia said as he flipped his hair over his shoulder. Axel should have seen this coming. How could Marluxia have known about Demyx being hurt that night several weeks ago? He had claimed he heard the screams, but the park was several blocks away. In hindsight, Axel realized the clues were all there. He just let his guard down _Yeesh, is everyone and their grandmother working for Xemnas?  
_  
"I can only assume this isn't a social visit." Flames spiraled down Axel's forearms, channeling into his palms to form his chakrams.

"Your time is up, Axel. The Organization has chosen you, and it is time to join us in our quest for salvation." The pinkette bellowed as his right hand reached forward, seemingly to grasp at thin air. Cherry blossoms exploded from his fingertips and fluttered about as his sythe took form in hand.

"I think I'll pass. I don't think Heaven or wherever you're from has what it takes to handle a guy like me."

"You do not understand the opportunity before you, Axel. You and I are one in the same. We both share the same sentence. You are being given the chance to relieve yourself of your pain and join us in a conquest to change the very laws of our spiritual universe…you could be a part of something grand."

"The laws are there for a reason. That's sort of what laws are for."

"I see your opinion on our methods has not changed." It was obvious that Marluxia was quickly losing his patience, for the plants that surrounded him were beginning to shutter and more wild in their actions. More roots and vines sprung from the ground, making that cracking noise that Axel had heard. "You have two choices, Axel Daecher of Germany. Join us, or die."

The air around Axel became distorted as it grew hotter from the heat the Preta was generating. Fire swirled around his palms and his ankles as a smirk came to his lips. His eyes became practically feral, the same effect that Xion had witnessed moments before Axel struck her. Axel wasn't preparing for just any kind of fight. He was ready for a fight to the death.

"Let's dance."

* * *

"Shelby! Shelby! Here Shelby!" Roxas called to his dog to distract her attention once he heard her start barking and growling. It sounded like Axel had found her, and he knew this wasn't going to end well. He abandoned his now finished peanut butter sandwiches and rushed into the living room to find Shelby barking at a now slamming front door. Hearing Roxas approaching and his calls, she was at his side in a matter of moments, ready to play like any other dog. Roxas just sighed and crouched down, petting her and letting her lick his face a few times in the process.

"This is gonna take a lot of work." He thought aloud as he scratched Shelby behind the ear. After an encounter like that, trying to get Axel to be more comfortable around dogs was going to be next to impossible. Maybe he would wait a few days before bringing the topic up. That sounded like a plan. For now, he decided to go and make sure Axel was alright and help him calm his nerves. After distracting Shelby by throwing her toy into another room and closing the door, he went back to the front door and tried to open it. Strange, it wouldn't move.

"Axel, Shelby is gone, you can open the door now." Roxas called against the door, thinking Axel was forcibly keeping it closed. No response. Roxas just rolled his eyes and tried to jiggle the door handle. "Axel, come on. Open the door." Still no response. What the heck was he doing? Roxas tried pounding on the door, but no luck there, either.

And then suddenly the room got much, much darker. Roxas knew the lights were already off, so his first reaction was to look at the windows. The blonde gasped and staggered back a few steps as he watched as what seemed like thick, green tentacles or something to that degree was creeping over the windows, blotting out the light. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Roxas' fears were only confirmed moments later when he heard the sound of screeching and clashing metal from outside the house.

"Axel!" Roxas cried out and started pounding at the door, trying to open it in any way he could, but this time the doorknob wouldn't even budge. He tried shoving his shoulder into the door to force it open, but there seemed to be a heavy weight on the other side keeping it closed. He had to be fighting someone, or some_thing. Is that why he was acting so weird about coming home?_

With the front door practically useless, Roxas went to try his luck with the back door. Unfortunately, he found the same result with that door, too. _The upstairs window_, he thought. _Maybe I can see what's going on from up there._Roxas took to the stairs as fast as his feet could carry him. His bedroom window faced the front of the house, so that was where he decided to try and look first. Fortune decided to favor Roxas this time- only the thinnest of the vines had made up to the second floor just yet, so Roxas was able to easily rip them as he opened his window.

"Axel!" He searched for the redhead frantically outside, but Axel was moving so fast that Roxas could barely keep track of where he was amongst the vines that were starting to creep in through the windowsill and brush against his arms. Roxas couldn't see what he was fighting, so he realized that whatever the threat was, it was from another Preta or some other spiritual entity. Paying attention to the invisible brawl was starting to become a chore in itself with these pesky vines becoming increasingly persistent to molest every possible surface of the outside of the house, and now the inside thanks to Roxas opening the window. Roxas kept having to swat the vines away and try to keep them away from him, but it was like the appendages had minds of their own. And they now had found some new prey.

* * *

Marluxia wasn't as quick as Axel, but Axel was having a tough time trying to land a good hit on the pinkette. His scythe had a very far reach that made close combat too dangerous to consider. He was also using his vines as well, tugging on Axel and trying to confuse them with their quick, twitching actions that could easily become a distraction if Axel didn't keep a sharp eye on the exact location of his foe.

"This would be a whole lot easier if you would just give in!" Marluxia called out to him whilst trying to outrun the fire-weilding Preta, dodging the flaming chakrams that came his way and swiping at them with his scythe to knock them off course. Axel could see right through Marluxia's attempts to mock him. The vines that whipped around them were easily disposed of with his fire.

"Why don't you stop running away and fight me with some dignity, coward!" Axel hissed back, then tried launching a few balls of fire in hopes of bypassing the vines and making a hit before Marluxia could swing his scythe and dodge them, but the vines just kept coming, taking the fiery blows for their rather flamboyant looking master. This wasn't fair at all. It was more like fifty against one with all these stupid plants flailing around. It was apparent that Marluxia was more the type to get others to do his dirty work.

Out of the corner of his eye, Axel caught a glimpse of blonde. Roxas made it out here somehow. Axel learned from his previous encounter with Saix that he shouldn't get distracted just because Roxas was there. This was a fight he couldn't afford to lose.

"Stay out of this, Roxas!" Axel growled after he heard the boy call his name, his green gaze not leaving Marluxia's form even for a second. At the very least, he had to keep Marluxia occupied from doing anything that would hurt Roxas. But Marluxia seemed to have other ideas.

The pinkette finally lunged towards him with his scythe poised to strike, but Axel was ready. He brought his chakrams up in a defensive position to block the attack and leave both demons at a deadlock, forcing themselves upon the other and glaring with hatred seething between them.

"You're a mockery of our breed." Marluxia hissed at him, throwing his shoulder into it to try to knock Axel off balance, but Axel promptly pushed back against him.

"Fitting in with other losers like myself has never been a part of my agenda." Axel retorted as flames lurched out from the surface of his chakrams to lace itself around Marluxia's scythe.

"Of course, because you would rather rub elbows with the living, and we both know that is unacceptable behavior. It's made you soft."

"Who are you to judge what path I take in life? You aren't my mother. Though you could easily pass off as one, I'm sure."

"Allow me to show you what I mean." With Axel bearing all of his weight upon Marluxia, when the pinkette jumped back he found himself stumbling forward. It was a clear opening for an attack, but Marluxia surprisingly didn't take advantage of that. Roxas' scream would provide the explanation for why.

One of the thicker vines had breached the open window and had dragged a screaming Roxas out by his ankle, lifting him high into the air and forcing the blonde to dangle upside down. When Roxas locked eyes with Axel, he opened his mouth to try and cry out for him but he was promptly gagged by a smaller vine wrapping around his mouth while the other end of it bound his arms behind him.

"Roxas!" Axel couldn't ignore the dangerous predicament the blonde was in. He jumped up with chakrams in hand, ready to slice through the vine easily and retrieve him. His attempt was intercepted by Marluxia, who cut him off and sent him flying to the ground with a fierce slice of his scythe. The amount of force that Axel hit the ground would have broken a mortal's back in an instant. Luckily, Axel was not a mortal. Unfortunately, that meant it just really, really hurt like a bitch. The Preta groaned, his eyes squeezing shut as he clenched his teeth to keep from yelling out in pain. Only when he heard Marluxia's voice did he open them.

"Our little game just became more interesting." Marluxia mused from where he was standing upon a second vine like a platform, right next to the one that was holding Roxas in the air. The blonde was struggling, kicking with his free leg and trying to break free from the vines that bound him. It became apparent that Roxas could see him now, because his wide blue eyes were glued to the pinkette. A growl slipped out of Axel's throat as he picked himself up off the ground, ignoring the searing pain through his body and trying to focus his now fuzzy gaze on Marluxia.

"Let him go, Marluxia." Axel hissed breathlessly. "He has nothing to do with this."

"Oh, but he has everything to do with this." Marluxia replied, placing his hands upon his hips. "And unless you come with me, the blood of another boy that you have come to adore will stain your hands once more."

"I swear, if you so much as _touch_him-"

"Oh, I don't have to touch him." The Preta shrugged, and the vine that held Roxas up by the ankle suddenly let go of him. Roxas' muffled scream could easily be heard behind the vine coiled around his mouth as he fell.

"NO!" Axel cried out in desperation, forgetting about his injuries for a split second and attempted to dash out and catch him, but his knees buckled beneath the pressure and momentum and sent him falling to his knees. The redhead could only watch in horror as Roxas tumbled towards the ground. What had he done? How could he have let this happen again? The past few weeks flashed through Axel's mind. Was this really how it was all going to end? Roxas had plenty of life left to live…all ended by a demon's selfish mistake. No. It couldn't end this way.

Just as Axel was pulling what strength he had left to try to save Roxas from certain death, the blonde was grabbed once again by the thick vine just a few feet before he hit the ground to pull him back up once more. From having faced death that had been only seconds away and being held upside down for so long, he didn't have the strength to struggle against the vine that kept him prisoner this time. Marluxia, on the other hand, chuckled darkly at Axel's pathetic desperation to save him.

"Either you come with me to join the Organization, or the boy dies. And I wouldn't wait too long for an answer if I were you. He'll be unconscious in a matter of minutes from the blood rushing to his head." Having made his proposal, his platform began to descend to the ground. He stepped right off of it as it hovered inches from the ground, his blue eyes leering down at Axel where he was sitting with one knee on the ground, trying to pull himself up. That fall had done quite a number on him.

He tore his gaze away from Marluxia to look at Roxas, watching as he dangled helplessly by his ankle. He could see that Roxas was struggling to keep his eyes open, fighting against unconsciousness but progressively losing. Axel didn't have time to think about this. He had to make a choice, and he had to make it now.

One of Axel's chakrams was already lying on the ground, having been thrown out of reach when Axel had fallen. He still had a grip on the second, however, but it slowly began to dissolve into puffs of smoke in his palm. Emerald eyes closed, and a heavy sigh left his lips.

"I'll go with you." Axel said as he slowly rose to his feet. He didn't dare look at Roxas as he voiced his choice. "But only under the condition that he won't be bothered by you or anyone else in the Organization."

"We have no need for weak humans in our agenda." Marluxia shook his head, but he seemed amused by Axel's request. "I'm glad you could and I could come to an agreement. The wrath of Xemnas is one that I would like to avoid."

"Yadda yadda, just put Roxas down already." The perturbed redhead groaned as he made a gesture for Marluxia to hurry along. Sure enough, the thick vine began to lower itself until it had safely placed Roxas on the ground. The biggest vine began to slither back into the crack from which it had erupted from, and the two smaller ones that kept Roxas restrained rapidly lost their vitality and became brittle as their vibrant green changed into a dead brown. The other plants and vines that had been crawling around and nearly swallowed Roxas' house began to slide back into the ground or wither and break off as well.

It sounded like Marluxia was saying something to him, but Axel wasn't paying attention. The redhead dragged himself past the pinkette and made his way over to the boy that now lay on the ground, still and unconscious despite his efforts. Axel was immediately concerned, but he had to reassure himself. _He'll be fine_, Axel thought. _He'll come to eventually…_On the bright side, if there was absolutely any way there could be one right now, at least this made goodbye just a tiny bit easier. He didn't have to watch Roxas cry, or hear his pleas to stay. But it was still a mountain of a task nonetheless.

Axel knelt down and carefully broke away the dead foliage from Roxas' mouth, tracing the boy's face with a gloved index finger. It looked just as beautiful as it did that morning when Roxas was sleeping in the car, if not more so. As odd as it may seem, Roxas looked sort of peaceful. The Preta sighed once more as he leaned down to press his lips upon his forehead tenderly.

"I will never forget you, Roxas Grimm." He whispered against the blonde's flesh, closing his eyes for just a moment to inhale his scent for one last time. "…_Ich liebe dich_." Even if Roxas couldn't hear it, just being able to say 'I love you' made Axel's heart flutter. If only he could hear it being said back to him. But somewhere deep down, he had a feeling that Roxas might feel the same. He could feel Marluxia's glare drilling into his back, but he still had one last thing to do before he left.

He reached into his pocket to pull out Aerith's old rag doll, his most prized possession. Axel had died in the fire with the doll on his person, so when he was reborn it stayed with him. And in the same way Ventus had passed it down to him and then to Aerith, Axel took Roxas' hand and placed it in his palm, carefully closing his fingers around it and laid the closed palm upon Roxas' chest. With Roxas' help, Axel had finally been able to come to terms with Aerith's tragic death. Gretel was no longer needed. This would be his way of thanking Roxas for all he had done for him, and leaving him something to remember him by.

"Maybe we will see each other again in the next life, yeah?" He chuckled bitterly as he forced himself to take his hands away and rise to his feet. A connection like this transcended time and space as the world knew it. He would see Roxas again… even if they didn't remember each other. He could just feel it.

* * *

_***: Lazily translated through Google as 'stupid fucking toy.' :U Hey, I put a lot of research into this fiction. I can at least get some slack in terms of translation.**_

_**I do hope you all don't believe that this is over. **_

_**Because, my lovely and devoted readers that rock my world, it is far from over. **_

_**Expect a new chapter in the next few days. HUZZAH.** _


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